


The Oracle Prince

by theshippingexpress



Series: Dragon's Song [2]
Category: Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart+
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26231836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theshippingexpress/pseuds/theshippingexpress
Summary: We’ve found the gems of the Dragonkin, but now Hawkeye has their eye on the treasures of the noble families. The Foundation Day royal ball seems like the perfect time. Luckily, we have the help of the crown prince- Viggo?!
Relationships: Liz Hart/Viggo
Series: Dragon's Song [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747261





	1. In The City

That night, Amelia and I were walking home together from the village. The moonlight lit up the path ahead of us, casting everything in a bright glow.

"Thanks again for helping me out tonight," I said, shifting the box under my arms, full of supplies for the semester's end.

"No problem. It was good to see everyone again!" She giggled. "I thought Felix was never going to let you leave. He even offered to carry everything for you!”

"He's just worried about me. It's understandable; I mean, Hawkeye is still out there."

My stomach churned as the ancient worry started up again. Hawkeye. Their goal was to find the six gems of Gedonelune, said to have been passed down from the first king. With the six gems, they would be able to awaken the Dragon of Time.

Though we clashed numerous times over the last few weeks, we'd been able to save three of the gems. The gems of Darkness and Light, now resting with Felix and Lacan- and the Gem of Fire, which Albert had entrusted to me. Only one, the gem of earth, still rested in Hawkeye's grasp.

'But it's only a matter of time before they come after me again.'

"You're worrying again," Amelia said, waving her hand. "I've got just the thing. Why don't you think about tomorrow's big announcement?"

The crown prince. They said that he was a great astronomer, that he had visions of the future. However, nobody knew who he was. But that was soon to change. It was said the House of Oxford, who guarded the prince, would reveal his identity to the public the next morning.

"Don't tell me you're going to stay up all night to find out?" I asked.

"I can't help it, it's so exciting!" She was practically bouncing as she walked. Shu chirped behind her. "I heard that he could even be a student at the academy. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a prince here, and we had no idea?"

"Like that could really happen.”

“..What are you talking about?” I jumped at the voice behind me.

"Eek!" Amelia grabbed onto my arm, hiding behind me. In the moonlight, the figure became clear.

Viggo. The biggest troublemaker and mystery of the Night Class. He had been in detention and the rehabilitation chamber more times than anyone.

I steadied myself. “Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Leave me alone," he said harshly. "I'm going out."

"Going where?"

"To the city."

To the city! Even for Viggo, that was a bit much at this time of night. "Viggo, you know that if

you're caught, you're going to get in trouble! Do you want to be in the detention chamber all of winter break?"

He turned to me, and something in his expression stopped me. It held none of his usual anger. It almost seemed like.. desperation. But it was gone as quick as it came when he smirked at me. "Then come with me."

"W-what?"

He shrugged. "I'm going anyway, but I won't get in trouble if a Prefect is with me, will I?"

"Don't go with him, Liz," Amelia said. "This is probably some trick."

Knowing Viggo, he would cause a lot of trouble. But if I went with him, I might be able to pull him back a bit. Well.. one little night in the town couldn't hurt anything, could it?

"Fine, I'll go with you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on, this way.”

“Wait a minute!” Viggo slipped easily past the gates, but I found myself stumbling past the gate. “I'll be there-”

“Here.” In one smooth move, Viggo grabbed my waist, picking me up and helping me over the gate.

“W-wait a minute!” The sudden movement caught me off guard, but Viggo set me down gently.

“Come on.” Viggo turned away, as cool as ice.

'Was he always that strong?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where are we headed? Are you going to go meet up with someone?"

"Just out. This is my last chance to go out without getting bothered."

My stomach churned. "What are you talking about? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

He stopped abruptly. "Here we are."

Somehow, we had ended up at the harbor. The night sky was so clear; the stars seemed to shine down upon us. It had been a long time since I had seen a sky like that.

I glanced over at Viggo, and my breath caught in my throat. The moonlight streamed through his hair, casting him in a warm glow. Staring up at the sky, his expression looked soft, a far cry from the rough guy I usually knew.

'Did he always look like that?'

"Do you like stargazing?"

He caught himself, turning away. "What if I do?" Ah, I had been so close.

"The stars are really pretty from here,” I said gently. “They remind me of back home.”

He relaxed a hair. He casually spun his pipe, but, this time, it turned into a telescope. "The stars are easier to see from the observatory," he said, "but it's got to be crawling with guards tonight."

"You've been to the observatory?" I'd heard about it, but I'd only managed a few peeks at it since I'd been in Gedonelune.

"I used to go there all the time with my dad." A wistful look crossed his face. "He said it would help with-" He suddenly stopped, glancing over his shoulder.

"Viggo?"

"We're being followed." He suddenly grabbed my hand, and I heard footsteps behind us. "Come on!”

We wove through the streets, down pathways that I didn't even know existed. After running for a few minutes, we stopped, practically collapsing against a nearby wall.

Looking around, I saw that we had slipped into a hidden street. Shops lined the street, glowing in the night.

"Where are we?"

"A place hidden away from the rest of the world. Even they won't be able to follow us here.”

“Who's they?” I asked. “Viggo, if you're in some kind of trouble, I can help you-”

"No more questions," he said briskly. "You'll find out soon enough anyway."

There was something in his voice that stopped me- frustration, but.. it didn't seem like it was with me. 'I.. don't think I can intervene here,' I thought. 'I'll have to wait until he trusts me enough to tell me.'

Despite myself, my tension eased as we walked through the streets. Even this late, the shops were shining with colors and sounds, each little shop catching my eye.

“Oh, let's go in there!” Stepping into the shop, a beautiful necklace caught my eye.

"That'll be 600 lune."

"What? That's a ripoff!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Viggo twirling his pipe- and suddenly, it didn't seem worth it. "Nevermind, here!" I practically tossed the money at the shopkeeper, grabbing Viggo's hand and hurrying out.

"Why'd you stop me? That man's always ripping people off!"

“You can't-” I sighed in frustration. “You can't just go fighting people for no reason!"

"Hey, give that back!" Voices split the air, bellowing from down the alley. Viggo bolted that way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A group of men clad in knightly armor were surrounding a man and a woman. The people were clamoring for something in the knight's hands.

"Perhaps we should teach you a lesson about respecting your betters.” The knight threw the man into a wall!

"Hey, pick on someone your own size!” Viggo bellowed, and all eyes fell on him.

"You..!"

Before they could get their words out, Viggo was already spinning his pipe. “Pugnus Tempestus!” A mist poured out of Viggo's pipe, quickly turning into the shape of a fist. With one strike, it tossed the knights aside. “Huh, easy.”

"Why you..! We oughta teach you a lesson!"

'I have to help them!' I whipped out my own wand.

“Saggita Lumen!”

Viggo didn't stop, sending another attack after the guards, sending them crashing against the walls.

“Tch. This isn't worth it. Let's get out of here!” The knights scrambled away.

The couple ran up to us. “Thank you so much!” they cried. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't helped us."

"Hmm, it was nothing.” Viggo turned away. “You should get out of here before you run into more trouble.”

As they ran away, I was struck by a sense of nostalgia. 'Didn't Viggo once save me, in a place just like this?'

"You fought well," I said. "You saved the two of them."

He smirked. "What was that about picking fights for no reason?"

I felt sheepish. I had jumped into the fight without thinking. "Well.. Maybe sometimes it's worth it."

Just then, my thoughts were broken by the growling of my stomach. Viggo asked, "Are you hungry?"

"..Yeah, it's kind of late. Probably past dinner by now.”

"Come on, I know a place." He took my hand, like the earlier argument had rolled right off. He led me to a little stall, tucked away in the street, and casually placed his own order.

"Ah.." I realized I had used the last of my lune to buy the necklace.

"Don't worry about it." He handed over the lune for both of us without batting an eye.

"Thank you." I glanced at his order. "I didn't know you liked spicy foods."

"Got a problem with it?" he asked, popping his food in his mouth.

"Not at all. It suits you." Fitting that the bad boy would even like to eat dangerously.

"What about you?"

"I'd say I have more of a sweet tooth. Though a little spice now and then never hurt anyone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. The night grew darker, and I could no longer feel Viggo's presence beside me. "Viggo?"

"There you are." My blood ran cold as I heard the all too familiar voice.

I froze as he stepped out of the shadows. Daniel Oxford, second son of the house of Oxford. Last time we met, he had lured me into Hawkeye's trap- and left me for dead.

I stepped back, reaching for my wand. "Leave me alone." 11 hours

"You don't seem nearly as tough without your Dragonkin guard now to protect you.”

"Get away from her." A hand pulled me back, and I was pulled against a strong chest. I knew without looking who it was.

'Viggo.' And strangely, I felt safer knowing that he was here. 

  
  


But, to my surprise, Daniel was suddenly all smiles. "Oh, Your Highness,” he said pleasantly, “what brings out here this late?"

"Y-your Highness?" I looked to Viggo, but his glare was focused on Daniel alone. “What is he talking about?”

“Oh, you didn't know?” He laughed. “Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you-”

"Shut up," Viggo snarled. "Shut up!"

"She's going to know soon enough, Your Highness.” Daniel stepped closer to us, his voice sweet as poison. "By morning light the whole kingdom, the whole world, will know the truth- the story of crown prince Viggo of Gedonelune."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zeus: You're telling me that Viggo is the prince? To think that the prince was.. a little punk!

Gray: Wait, you didn't know that?

Zeus: What, you already knew that? How?

Gray: I'm the keeper of the Tower of Memories! Besides, I knew the first king personally! It's not like I'd tell anyone though.

Zeus: Oh, I forgot that you're as old as dirt.

Gray: I beg your pardon?

Zeus: Nevermind, nevermind, let's just get to the next chapter. I want to see how everyone reacts to this news.

Gray: Next time, Prince of Gedonelune.


	2. Prince of Gedonelune

The world seemed to slow to a crawl as I heard Daniel's words. “Prince..?”

Viggo. The biggest troublemaker in the Night Class, constantly in and out of detention, always looking for a fight- the crown prince of Gedonelune?

"Viggo, is what he said true?" I asked slowly, looking up at the man holding me in his arms.

Viggo sighed, like all of the fight had been drained from him. "You heard him, didn't you?"

"There you have it. Now," Daniel snapped his fingers, and men clad in knightly armor surrounded us, "it's getting late. Why don't you be a good boy, Viggo, and walk her home?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The guards followed us every step back to the dorms. I could feel Viggo simmering under their gaze, but my mind was still buzzing with Daniel's words.

"I'm.. sorry," I said at last. "Because of me, we got caught."

He just shook his head. "Would have happened anyway. It's almost morning; they're probably all hearing the news right about now."

I had to choose my words carefully. "Viggo- what is Daniel to you?"

He finally looked up, sighing. "My guardian," he said. "He's directly responsible for me until I graduate. The other Oxfords aren't much better."

I remembered when I had spoken about Daniel the first time. The anger in Viggo's face had been unmistakable. 'You have no chance against Daniel,' he said. 'Even I can't..!'

He left me at the door of the dorms without another word. Amelia came rushing up to me. "Have you heard the news?! They're saying that Viggo is the crown prince!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Ugh, the students wouldn't stop asking about Viggo..'

After class, I decided to pay a visit to the Night Cafe. To my surprise, I found a familiar face already waiting there.

"Hmm?" Luca looked up, dazed. "Oh, it's you."

"You're here early,” I said, settling next to him.

"Yeah, I just wanted to get some peace and quiet." He rubbed his forehead. "Nobody can seem to shut up about the 'big news'.”

Of course, I thought. The truth of the secret heir to the throne, hidden away from the rest of the world- of course, it would be a sore spot for Luca, given his own history.

"Luca, I'm.."

A familiar voice bellowed from outside the door. "You're telling me that you've known all along?!" Luca groaned.

"I mean, duh," Gray said as he came into the cafe, Zeus and Hiro following behind, "he's my roommate. But I was sworn to secrecy."

"Liz, did you hear the news?" Hiro asked as he came up to me. "To think that punk was actually.."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I heard about it last night. It's kind of a long story."

"Can we just shut up about this?!" Luca yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "We get it, Viggo's the prince- why does everyone need to make a big deal out of this?"

A hush fell over the room, all eyes turning to Luca. "..Are you all right?"

He caught himself, his breathing ragged. “I think I just need to get some air. Don't wait up for me." He briskly hurried out of the cafe.

"What's up with him?"

My heart ached as I watched him go. I could feel their confused stares, but I couldn't tell them what he was going through.

The door opened again, and everyone went stiff at the man who stepped through, the man of the hour.

"Oh, Viggo-" I stumbled over my words. Did I try to approach him as a friend- or did I approach him as a prince? What did you even call a prince? "I mean, Your-"

"Start with the titles, and I'm leaving," he snapped. "I need a drink."

Zeus and Hiro pulled away as Viggo approached the bar. "Are you really the prince?" Hiro asked.

"Do you really have the power to see the future?"

"This is why I didn't want to tell people," he said with a sigh, grabbing his drink. "It's nothing but trouble in the end."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, we gathered together in the Headmaster's office. Even Felix stood with us.

Schuyler sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm sure that you have all heard the truth about Prince Viggo by now. It was supposed to be a secret until he graduated, but the house of Oxford decided to spring this on all of us."

"How could we not?" Zeus asked. "Everyone's talking about it."

"With this news, this year's Foundation Day ball is said to be bigger than ever. Nobles from all over will be coming in to pay their respects to the prince. However.. we have reason to believe that Hawkeye will try to infiltrate the court, if they haven't already."

"It seems like the perfect storm to go looking for the last two gems," I said. It was said that three of the gems- fire, wind, and water- were passed down through the noble families of Gedonelune. Albert had held one, the Gem of Fire, but we were still yet to find the other two.

"Precisely. To that end, we've spoken to the palace- and agreed to send several students to the palace as representatives of the academy. Given that this is your break, if you cannot attend, or have familial obligations, I understand. To those who will attend, you will be searching for the last two gems and attending the events- including the royal ball."

"T-the royal ball?"

"What about you?" Zeus asked, turning to Felix. "You're not a student."

"I've been asked to accompany you," Felix said calmly. "We've already arranged things with the Ministry; I will be going as a representative of the Dragonkin."

"Didn't think parties were quite your style." Suddenly, Zeus grinned. "Oh, I see, you just want-"

"..I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think that'll be the perfect place for the banner! It'll give everything a snowy feel."

As I climbed on the ladder, my mind turned back to the Headmaster's offer.

'Could someone like me really go to the royal palace?' I thought. I had been to noble parties before, but this was something entirely different. Let alone the royal ball.

And an image popped into my mind. I saw myself descending a grand staircase, dressed in my finest gown, all eyes on me. Like something out of a fairytale. And dancing with my true love-

I shook my head. 'Where did that thought come from?' In my confusion, I reached out for a rail that wasn't there-

"Watch out!"

Strong arms caught me just before I fell. I looked down to see Viggo standing by the ladder.

"T-thank you."

"..Be careful." I got off the ladder, and the others rushed over.

"Hey, Viggo, nice of you to join us," Caesar said.

"I was just passing by," he said gruffly. "..You chose snowy decorations?"

I nodded. "There's going to be a spell to make it look like it's snowing over the courtyard on the last day. I thought it would cheer everyone up.” Something flickered over his expression as he looked at the directions though what it was, I couldn't place.

"Oh, I have an idea!” Caesar grinned. “Could you do a blessing spell for the decorations? What would be cooler than a prince's blessing?"

"No," he said bluntly. "It's just decorations."

"If you wanted a prince's blessing, why not ask me?" Lucious huffed.

"I was thinking of a cooler prince," Caesar said.

"Hey!" I sighed as they started to bicker again.

'Oh, right, I should thank Viggo!' But when I turned around, he was already gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking through the corridor, I was greeted by an odd sight: Viggo hiding behind a pillar.

"Oh, I wanted to say thank you for-"

"Shh!" He suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me behind the pillar with him.

"What are you-"

"Oh, Viggo!" Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of giggling girls passing us by. "Prince Viggo, where did you go?"

"He's so dreamy~"

"Who could resist him?"

Viggo let out a sigh of relief, releasing my arm as soon as they were gone. "..Seems you have some fans."

"They've hardly left me alone since the announcement," he said. "Fawning over me like I'm some prince from a fairytale."

I couldn't help but giggle at that. "Well, you're certainly no ordinary prince."

"..What do you want anyway?" He finally faced me.

"Oh, right! I wanted to thank you for saving me earlier."

"Don't worry about.." Suddenly, he staggered back, his face going pale.

"Viggo?! What's wrong?" I grabbed his shoulders. When he looked at me, there was a strange look in his eyes, like he was seeing right through me. 

  
  


"Winter comes at the turn of a thousand years," he said, but his voice didn't sound like his own. "Six gems shining, hear the dragon's song-" And suddenly, he was back, his breathing coming in ragged gasps.

"What happened?"

"Don't touch me." He pulled away sharply, and I pulled away from him. Proud and confidant Viggo, always ready to fight, but he looked.. shaken.

"Was that- a vision of the future?" I had heard the rumors about a prince with that ability, but I couldn't have imagined that it would be like that.

He finally nodded. "It happens sometimes," he gritted out, wiping his face.

"So it's true. You really can see the future. The oracle prince..”

"It doesn't matter. I can deal with this on my own." He brushed past me, but I wouldn't soon forget the strain on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, mind filled with restless thoughts, I went to the school's rooftop. To my surprise, I wasn't alone; Viggo was already sitting there, gazing up at the stars.

"Oh, Viggo," I said. "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Are you going to tell a prince to go to class?" he asked, glancing sideways at me.

"Th-that's-"

"..I finished my exams early," he said as he got up. "Thought I'd come looking for you.”

“What do you need?”

"I heard you're coming to the palace. But you're not just going as a guest, are you?"

"W-well.." His direct question caught me off-guard. "We have reason to believe that Hawkeye will try to infiltrate the palace. I'll be going to try to stop them."

"And Daniel is one of them."

I paused. Daniel was Viggo's guardian; could I afford to accuse him? But I remembered the way Viggo had looked at Daniel, back in that alley. There was no mistaking the hatred in his eyes.

"..I don't know," I said. "But I do know that he was working with one of them, a woman called Cordelia. The two of them attacked me in-"

"-Queensblade," he said. "I know. I saw them attack you in a vision."

"You.. tried to warn me." It had seemed so strange at the time. But now it all made sense.

"I'll help you. If you're going to the palace anyway, you can be my

"Forgive me, but it's a little hard to believe you're interested in fighting Hawkeye."

"I don't give a crap about them. Or about the gems. But Daniel's a pain in my side. If it means I can get rid of him, I'll do whatever it takes. And it seems that helping you is the best option.”

It was a lot to take in. Viggo was wild and dangerous, unpredictable. But... it would be hard to find someone who could be of a greater help in the palace. Or someone with more reason to hate Hawkeye.

"Thank you, Viggo."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucious: Everyone's going crazy over a prince at the academy. I didn't get attention like that.

Caesar: I remember quite a bit of fuss when you came to the academy too. Everyone fangirling over the 'Prince of the Labyrinth'. But you're just old news now.

Lucious: Old news! It hasn't been that long, has it?

Caesar: Seasons have come and gone since you've been out of the Labyrinth. Now that Viggo, he's exciting and troublesome. ..Let's just hope he handles himself.

Lucious: Next time- At the Palace.


	3. At the Palace

'I don't think I'll ever get used to this..'

The idea of visiting the palace still seemed like a strange dream. And yet, bright and early that morning, I found myself personally escorted to a carriage by a knight.

A few minutes later, Viggo showed up, flanked by guards. They gave him a pointed look as they opened the door for him; he rolled his eyes but obediently stepped inside, settling across from me.

"Those guards.. their insignia looks familiar," I said.

"Hree, hree," Shu shrank back at my side; I stroked his scales to calm him.

"Oxford guards," he answered. "Daniel sent them to make sure I go to the palace. They follow his every order."

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. As the carriage started to move, I turned to him, trying to get my mind off of it. "It'll be exciting to see the palace," I said. "I've only seen it from a distance; I never thought I'd get to visit it for myself."

"I'd say it's not too different from the academy," he said, gaze fixed out the window. "Nothing special."

How strange. I had known Viggo for months now, but, times like this, he seemed like a total stranger. Who would've thought the man I chased would speak so casually of a royal life?

"Is the palace where you grew up?"

"Not really. I only really spent summers and winter break there. Rest of the year, I was moved around to stay with various guardians. Surprised the Oxfords didn't try to make me stay at their mansion."

'That's because.. Daniel's looking for the gems in the court.'

"I'm sure their manor is nice when it's not on fire. That's the only time I saw it." The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them- but, to my surprise, Viggo laughed.

My heart jumped at the sound. 'He has a nice laugh.'

"That's a good one." He turned to me. "What about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm from a village called Reitz. It's pretty much the middle of nowhere." He relaxed as we talked, chatting about nothing.

"There it is!"

I had seen the palace from a distance every day since I had been in Gedonelune, but seeing it in person took my breath away. In all its splendor and glory, the Royal Palace lay before my eyes.

"It looks magical! This feels like.. when I arrived at the academy for the first time."

"Hmm." I thought I saw a sparkle of something in his eyes.

My breath hitched in my throat as I saw the man standing at the gates, a man I had only seen in portraits. A man with long, purple hair, dressed in fine clothes, a brilliant smile on his lips.

'King Auron Gedonelune.'

The king came up to us, clapping Viggo on the shoulder with a boisterous laugh. "Here's my son! I'm so glad you made it home safe."

"It's good to see you." Viggo smiled genuinely.

"Academy life been treating you well? Not treating you too roughly?"

"Everything's fine." My heart warmed as they talked. Despite his grumpiness, Viggo seemed to relax around his father.

'He must really look up to his father.'

Seeing the two of them side by side, the resemblance was striking, the same purple hair, the same face shape. "You two really do look a lot alike.."

"And who's this?" I froze as the king's gaze fell on me. "A friend of yours?"

"Liz Hart," Viggo said, as casual as could be. "I invited her to the castle as my guest."

"Liz Hart.. I've heard that name before." I froze. I wasn't expecting him to know my name! "Ah, you were part of the team that won the Board Game Finals for us, weren't you?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty." I couldn't meet his gaze. I bowed my head, hoping he didn't hear my heart pounding! "We've been enjoying the land you gave us."

"I hope you can keep being a good friend to Viggo. There'll be a small party tonight to welcome my son. I hope you can join us." He turned to his son, guiding him along towards the castle. "Come on, everyone's waiting to meet you."

I let out a sigh of relief as they walked away. 'So that's Viggo's father. To think I'd meet the king like this..'

A maid stepped up to me. "I'll show you to your room, Milady."

'Okay. You can do this.' I smoothed down my dress for the thousandth time. 'It's just a small party. A small.. royal party.'

I heard a knock at the door. "Are you ready?"

When I answered, to my surprise, Viggo was waiting. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up."

"Isn't it a bit much to be escorted by a prince?" I thought he would have headed to the party on his own by now.

He bristled. "Tch. Does it matter? More nobles will talk to you if you're with me. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"I suppose." He took my hand.

I could feel eyes on us as we walked together. But I couldn't tell if they were the eyes of adoring nobles- or something worse.

'They said there are members of Hawkeye in the palace.' I shivered. 'How many of them are just lurking around, waiting to take the gems again?'

"What are we looking for in there?"

Viggo's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I lowered my voice as I walked closer to him. "The gems of water and wind. If they have them, I suspect they'll be in jewelry of some sort. Though Albert's was in a.."

I stopped short as we entered the courtyard. Tables were filled with fine food, and all of the guests were decked out in stunning outfits.

'This is a small party?'

"Lots of jewelry here." As he said, almost everyone was wearing their finest jewels too.

"There he is! Prince Viggo has returned!" Before I could speak, nobles flocked around us. I gathered Shu in my arms so he didn't get lost.

"Oh, Your Highness, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," they cooed, all smiles. "You really are just as the rumors say."

"Is it true that you have the ability to see the future, Your Highness?"

A noble grabbed my hands. "You must be the prince's mysterious guest. We've heard a lot about you."

"Oh, I'm just.."

"How did you and His Highness meet?"

Somehow, it didn't seem like a good idea to mention I had first seen him in the detention chamber. "We're.. classmates. We met in class." Viggo nodded.

"Ah, Your Highness!" A familiar cheerful voice cut through the crowd. The nobles parted as Daniel walked up to us; a woman with long, green hair quietly followed behind him. Daniel said, "I'm so glad that you and your companions have arrived home safely. I was afraid you would try to run off again!"

Viggo just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

"Hmm?" The woman caught my eye. There was something familiar about her that I couldn't place. "Milady, have we met before?"

"I don't believe so." Pink eyes fixed on me. "I think I'd remember meeting a girl with a dragon."

"Ah, let me introduce you. This is Jaden Orian, my lovely fiancee,” Daniel said, kissing her hand. "I still can't believe I get to say that."

“Nice to meet you, Lady Jaden.”

"I know!" Daniel clapped his hands together. "We've been hearing all night about what a gifted astronomer you are, able to divine the future. I'm sure that everyone here would love to see a demonstration."

"No," Viggo said clearly.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Are you not feeling well?" Although his words sounded cheerful, there was something lurking behind them. It almost sounded like a threat.

"..Fine."

"All right! Now, come here." Viggo walked forward, to the center of the courtyard. All the nobles followed around him, gathering in a circle. Viggo spun his pipe, and it turned into a telescope.

I had to admit, my curiousity was piqued. But.. I thought he saw the future through visions? How would this work?

Daniel smirked. "Now, what shall we have you see? How about your lovely lady companion? What can you tell me of her future?"

"Me?"

Viggo gave him a flat stare. "I can't see that!"

Daniel didn't seem phased at all. "Then how about the Foundation Ball? The center of the festivities. Surely the great oracle prince can see that much?"

Viggo rolled his eyes, turning his telescope to the sky. All was silent, watching him with baited breath.

Finally, Viggo spoke, his voice deep and distant. "I see.. snow falling on the castle grounds. Snow falling like never before-" He abruptly pulled back. “That's enough,” he snapped. His expression was strange. Viggo was always unshakeable- but he almost looked.. afraid.

Daniel laughed. "Well, that sounds like a wonderful treat for the people! I'm sure His Majesty can make it snow for us!" At his cue, the crowds burst into applause.

"Whatever." Viggo turned, walking out of the crowd. "Let's get something to eat."

"I don't understand." I quickly followed behind him. "I thought that you couldn't control your visions?"

"I can't choose what I see, and Daniel knows it," he grit out. "But using my telescope allows me to channel my visions a little clearer. Refine what I see."

"So then you'd already seen that it would snow?"

"..I don't want to talk about it." I remembered his shaken expression and bit my tongue.

'Better to leave it here for now. He'll tell me when the time is right.'

We walked through the room. I saw my friends already mingling with the nobles when I heard a familiar voice. "Your Highness." Albert smiled at us. "I heard that you had finally returned to the palace; I wanted to pay my respects."

"..Who are you?" Viggo asked dryly.

"Marquis Albert Auburne, at your service." He bowed with a smile.

"He's a friend of mine," I told Viggo. "He's the one who held the gem of fire."

"Still safe with you, I trust?" I nodded. "Tonight would be a good chance to look for the others-"

"I don't need your help," Viggo said gruffly, pushing past him.

Suddenly, there was the sound of glass shattering. I looked over to see a man glaring at a maid, broken glass spilled everywhere.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"Watch it!" the man snapped. "Do you have any idea who I am?! Maybe I should teach you a lesson-"

"What a brute," Albert muttered.

'I have to do something-' But Viggo jumped in first.

"Back off!"

"Oh, Your Highness." The man just smirked. "What's the matter? I'm just teaching a servant to mind their betters."

"You think you can just throw your weight around and treat people however you like?!" Viggo snapped. "Sounds like to me you're the one who needs to learn a lesson!" In a flash, he spun his pipe. "Pugnus Tempestus!"

"Ugh!" The man went flying into the ground. "What's the big idea?!"

"Viggo!" Daniel's sharp voice cut through the air. And suddenly all eyes in the courtyard were on Viggo.

"I.." And suddenly Viggo clutched his head, that strange look coming over his face again. "No, no, not now-"

Daniel sighed as he walked over to Viggo. "I told your father that a party like this would be too much for you too soon," he said soothingly. "Come on, Your Highness, we should get you to rest."

"Get away from me!" Viggo pulled back, his breathing suddenly ragged. He looked dazed- but it seemed different. It seemed like desperation.

"Viggo, are you all right?"

"Come on." He suddenly grabbed my hand. "Let's get out of here!"

"W-wait!" Viggo took off running- and pulled me with him!

Lucious: Well, this isn't going good. It looks like this party is headed for disaster.

Zeus: Maybe I should summon something to distract everyone? It's been a while since we've seen Vulcanaux-

Lucious: I think that would be the only thing that could make things worse!

Zeus: How am I still the one getting scolded?

Lucious: Next time, Crossroads.


	4. Crossroads

Viggo dashed through the halls and into the street, bringing me along with him!

“V-viggo, wait a minute-”

“After them!” My heart raced as I heard the guards behind us.

"It looks like I have no choice." Viggo grabbed his pipe, twirling it around in his hand. "Pugnus Tempestus!" With one move, the guards went crashing into the wall!

What was he doing?! "Viggo, stop!"

“I'm sick of this!” Again and again, he fired off attacks, crashing into the knights, into the walls, into the ground, years of frustration pouring out with every attack. “Always being yanked around by the guards, by their rules! I won't let anyone control me anymore!”

“Viggo, don't you realize they'll only use this against you?!”

“So what?! I'll take them all down!”

“Do you think this will make anything better? If you think that you can escape here and now, if you think you can get free, then be my guest. But if they catch you, they'll drag you back and make things worse! Hurting these people is exactly what they want!”

He whirled on me. “What did you say?”

I had to choose my words carefully. But I knew that I couldn't back down now. “They made a fool out of you. They made it look for all the world like you're nothing more than a rampaging prince. Right now, they're back in that ballroom, painting the image that they want of you. 'This is why he needs to be locked up. This is why he needs to be controlled.'”

“So what am I supposed to do, play their stupid game?!”

“I'm not asking you to let them control you. But we need to be smart about this! Nothing's going to change if you're constantly losing your temper at everyone! Pick your battles- and strike when the time is right!"

  
  


The tension hung in the air- but finally, Viggo put his pipe away. “Fine.”

"How dare you speak to our prince like that!" My blood ran cold as I saw the knights getting to their feet, their attention suddenly focused on me.

And now that the adrenaline was quickly wearing off, I realized what I'd just done. I'd just yelled at the prince of Gedonelune! “I-”

“Stand back,” Viggo commanded. “She's my guest.” He smirked at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “We were just having a conversation, weren't we?”

"T-that's right," I said, nodding. "Just a conversation."

They hesitated, but they stepping back. "Yes, Your Highness." Was it that easy?

"There they are!" Suddenly, I heard familiar voices. Pretty soon, Caesar, Alfonse, and Lucious came up to us. "Are you all right?"

"You gave us quite a scare when you ran out of the party like that," Caesar said with a sigh.

"You were worried about me?" Viggo asked, genuine surprise flickering across his face. "I thought I scared all of you."

"You do scare me a bit," Alfonse admitted. "But it looks like you need help."

"Hmm."

I finally dared to ask the question the question tugging at the back of my mind. "Viggo, why did you freak out like that?"

He was quiet for a moment, and then he sighed. "..I had a vision. Try not to tell them anything if I can help it, but there's not much I can do in that state."

The thought of them taking advantage of his weakness caused anger to flare up in me. "How dare they use you like that!"

His eyes widened. "You're mad? You have.. no idea, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

"Hmm." He turned away without answering. He turned to the guards, commanding, "Go back to the ball. Tell Daniel I'll be back in a few minutes."

They nodded. As soon as the guards left, he spun his pipe, turning it into a telescope.

The others watched with wide eyes. "What are you doing? You did the same thing at the party.."

"That vision is still bothering me," he said, studying the sky without looking at us. "This is the way that I can gain some clarity on my visions."

"Amazing.."

Even when he turned back to us, none of us dared to speak. After a moment, he said, "Aren't you going to ask?"

"What?"

He folded his arms. "Everyone always asks what my visions are. Thought you'd be the first to want to know. Especially since it had to do with the gems." His words sounded like a warning. He was pushing us, but I didn't want to take the bait.

I bit my tongue. I looked at my friends, and I could tell we were all sharing the same thought. 

"Viggo," I said at last, "you must have had a lot of people trying to use your powers before, haven't you?"

He sighed. "More times than I can count."

I raised my chin as I faced him. "I won't say I'm not curious. But if we push you to use your powers for our own goals, that would make us no better than Daniel." The others nodded.

His eyes widened, genuinely caught off guard. And then he sighed, lowering his voice as he walked closer. "..I saw the gems. The gem of water.. I can't tell the shape or color, but I can tell that it's somewhere within this castle."

"Within the castle?! Looks like we were right to come here."

"The other gem was confusing." He stared off in the distance. "The silver gem. In my vision, I saw two of them- but they're held by two different people."

"You mean, like someone split the gem into two? Is that possible?" Lucious asked.

He shook his head. "Both of the gems are completely whole. It's as though someone made a copy of it."

“How strange." But this had given us invaluable information. "Thank you, Viggo."

He nodded. "Let's head back to the castle. I'll never hear the end of it otherwise."

"Hang on a minute." Alfonse suddenly stopped him.

"Will you allow me to look at you?" Viggo relented, letting him brush his hand against his face, checking his pulse.

"What are you doing?"

Alfonse smiled. "You'll see."

When we got back to the courtyard, all eyes were on Viggo, as if silently waiting for him to slip up again.

Daniel walked forward first, and I saw Viggo bristle. "Ah, Your Highness," he said. "I'm glad to see you've returned. You must be feeling exhausted after your adventure. Come on, you should rest-"

"It's all right." Alfonse smoothly stepped between them. "I examined him, and I've given him the all clear. He should be able to go on with the rest of the party."

"..Who are you?"

"Alfonse Goldstein. I run a clinic nearby." He grinned. "The House of Goldstein only has the greatest concern for the prince."

Daniel's eyes darkened at the name, but he quickly smiled. "Well then, I suppose we have nothing to worry about. We should all get something to eat." With that, the worried tension in the air seemed to dissipate, everyone going back about their business.

"Let us know if you need anything," Caesar said. Viggo nodded.

Unlike before, no one dared to get close to the prince. That seemed to suit him just fine, hovering near the tables.

"..Something is still bugging me," he said. “Didn't you say you had three of the gems?"

"Yes. Light, darkness, and fire."

"What about the other one? ..It's a crystal with a bunch of colors in it, isn't it?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

His eyes darkened as he folded his arms. His gaze fixed across the courtyard. "I've seen Daniel carrying it with him."

Of course it would make sense. If Cordelia had one, Daniel would carry the other. "It's the earth gem," I said. "It was one of the gems entrusted to the Dragonkin, but Hawkeye stole it from us when they attacked me."

His eyes darkened, and he turned away, just like he did before. 'There he goes again..'

"Viggo?"

"..There's something that you should know." He fixed his steely gaze on me. "They used my visions to attack you before.”

My heart sank. “That time in Queensblade..” But I'd seen the way that he acted when he was in that state, how little control you had. "Viggo, it's not your fault," I said firmly. "Nobody's to blame for that except Hawkeye." He seemed to relax at that. "Besides.. we got them back in the end. Well, one of them anyway."

"You did? How?"

"The woman who attacked me, Cordelia.." I could still picture her, the silver necklace glinting about her neck. "She wore this necklace, and she had placed the gem of fire in it. When I saw it, I sort of.." I flushed, suddenly embarrassed at myself.

"You stole her necklace?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Sort of jumped at her, to be honest. I think I nearly gave Felix a heart attack." To my surprise, Viggo laughed. "Hey!"

"Just didn't know you had it in you," he said with a smile. For some reason, my heart jumped, seeing his smile. "..You seem more relaxed around me."

"Hmm? Oh. I'm sorry.." Somewhere in there, I must have gone back to treating him like before.

He chuckled. "Don't be. I like it better this way anyway. Can't stand people fawning over me just cause I'm a prince."

"Even if I'm yelling at you?" I asked cautiously.

"Even then."

And I felt a sense of clarity. I had been so confused ever since I'd learned that Viggo was a prince. But in the end, he was still the same Viggo that I always knew. There was a comfort in that.

That morning, we met bright and early in the dining hall. Viggo was already waiting for us- with a surprising guest. A small, pink bunny was following behind him.

"Uh, Viggo, what's with the bunny?"

He sighed. "Daniel and Jaden wanted to keep an eye on me. They only allowed me to meet with you all if I let Jaden's familiar follow around with me."

"That's oddly agreeable for you," Luca said. Viggo scoffed.

"Just biding my time. Well, now that you're all here.." At Viggo's signal, a fine spread of food was laid out before us, fit for a king.

"Is all of this for us?!" Zeus asked.

"Have as much as you like."

"Thanks, Viggo!" They didn't need to be told twice. The others immediately started grabbing at the food.

"I can't believe that royals get to eat like this every day," Caesar said.

"We want the same thing. From the sounds of it, if I help you find the gems, that'll get rid of Daniel."

"You want our help, Your Highness?" Albert asked with almost mocking innocence. Viggo didn't give an answer. "Well, we're happy to have your help."

"Perhaps we can start by talking to the king?" I suggested. "If we tell him about Daniel and Hawkeye-"

But Viggo scoffed. "It won't work. Daniel's already whispering in his ear. Anything we say risks getting back to him."

My heart dropped. "Then looks like we're on our own for now."

Viggo looked around. "So where do we start?"

Felix: So now we even have the oracle prince on our side. Do these people always make friends this easily?

Lucious: You're one to talk. It only took a day for you to join us.

Felix: That was different. We were crunched for time.

Lucious: Still, I didn't think he'd join us this quick. I owe Hugo some lune now.

Felix: Don't tell me you were taking bets on this?! You didn't do that for me, did you?

Lucious: Oh yeah, we do it all the time. Still, I've got one more chance to win my lune back..

Felix: Next time, The Nobility.


	5. The Nobility

"What are we doing?” Viggo asked as we walked into the courtyard.

"Well, a lot of nobles would only know you from the rumors. It might be nice to make a good first impression. It could be a way to undo some of the damage Daniel's done.”

The instant we walked into the courtyard, noble ladies immediately flocked around him. "It's such an honor to finally meet you, Your Highness," was just the start of the pleasantries. Viggo looked a little uncomfortable.

“..Hello,” he said.

"Are you looking for something?"

Viggo looked over at me, and I mouthed 'first impressions!'.

"..Gems," he said. "We're looking for specific gems. Do you know anything about them?"

"You like gems, Your Highness?" the noble ladies asked. "We have gems that shine as bright as the stars."

Luca nudged me. "Let me handle this." Luca smiled at the two ladies, stepping forward. “Do any of them shine as bright as you?”

They giggled as Luca kissed their hands. "And who's this?"

"Luca Orlem, at your service," he said with a bow.

"Luca is a friend of mine," he said.

With their attention on Luca, Viggo quickly pulled away from the group. "I don't think I can do this," he muttered to me.

"This may have been a bit much.”

  
“See this sapphire? It's been passed down through my family for generations.”

“Oh, Your Highness, this ruby was said to have been a gift from the first king.”

Over the next few days, the rumor of the prince's love of gems spread like wildfire. It seemed like we could hardly go for a walk without a noble offering up a gem or a gift or some kind. In theory, it was a good thing, but every time..

"Another failure." Viggo sighed as we sat down, his head dropping on my shoulder.

"V-viggo?"

“What?”

I couldn’t say it was unpleasant, but.. “W-what if someone sees?”

“So what of it?” he asked, looking up at me.

I found myself unable to find the words, so I decided to change the topic. “W-well, at least the nobles seem to be warning up to you. Even if we haven't found anything yet.”

“My, my, is that you?” I sat up sharply as I heard the voices, nearly knocking Viggo off the bench.

"Ow.."

Two ladies approached me; I had served them tea while acting as Albert's maid. “Oh! Ladies, it's nice to see you again.”

"...Friends of yours?" Viggo asked dryly.

They giggled. "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm April, and this is June."

“I'm Liz! And, well, you know Viggo.”

“It was quite a surprise when we saw you at the opening party the other night,” April said.

“It's.. a long story,” I said. “You see, Viggo is a classmate of mine, so he invited me to the palace.”

June laughed. “Why don't you join us for tea this afternoon? We'd love to catch up with you.” I took the details from them, but Viggo gave me a strange look as they walked away.

“Are you going?”

“Why not? It sounds like it could be fun.”

“They're using you,” Viggo said bluntly, sitting next to me again. “They came to you when they saw you were with me.”

“That's not true! They knew me from before. They were nice to me even when they thought I was just..” I caught myself.

How often had this happened to him? Someone bonding with him, only to use him? “Why don't you come with us? Then you'll see their intentions for yourself.”

“Why should I?”

“Well..” Something hit me. “Last time I talked to them, they gave me a lot of information on the Oxfords. Maybe they could help us find information on Daniel?”

He sighed. “..Fine.”

  
A few hours later, we settled into the garden with April and June. A spread of cookies and tea had been laid out before us.

"This time, I can pour the tea for you," June said, taking up the kettle. "By the way, is that Lady Jaden's familiar with you?"

"Ah, yes, she's watching over Viggo for a while,” I said. I could see Viggo sitting up a little. This could be our chance to learn more about her. “Do you know anything about Jaden?”

"Oh, I think everyone knows that story. When Baron Orian and his wife died, everyone thought that their daughters died with them. But then Lady Jaden showed up five years ago and became the head of her family."

As I listened, I reached for the cup of tea- and felt Viggo's hand brush against mine. I quickly pulled away.

'Why is my heart racing?'

"I didn't know that she had a sister," I said, trying to regain my composure.

"Oh yes. Little Dahlia, they called her. Though she was very young when the accident happened," April said with a sigh. My heart ached for her.

"It must have been difficult to lose her family like that." Viggo went oddly quiet.

"It's been so rough for her," June said with a sigh. "Even five years on, Lady Jaden's still fighting to be recognized, as she doesn't have the symbol of her house.”

"The symbol..? Do you remember what it was?"

“I think it was some kind of gem.”

My blood ran cold. I looked at Viggo, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

'If she has the last gem- we better hope we can get to it first.”

  
"Well, what do you think?" I asked as we sat down in the meeting room. "That tea party wasn't so bad."

"I guess not,” he said, flopping into his chair. “They seemed nice enough. And we got information on Jaden.”

“Do you distrust her?”

“She's Daniel's fiancee, isn't she? Don't you think it's likely she's also a member of Hawkeye?”

“That's true, but.. she could also be an innocent. How do we know Daniel isn't just using her? Besides.. I feel sorry for her. I understand what she went through. I lost my family too." He met my eyes, and my heart caught in my throat.

"Liz, I-"

"Are we interrupting something?" I looked up as the others started to filter into the room.

"Not at all!" I sat up a little straighter. "Did any of you find anything?"

  
In the end, it seemed they didn't fare any better than we did.

"Perhaps we're looking at too recent history," Albert mused. "Surely, there must be some sort of record of the original noble families in this castle?"

Viggo suddenly looked thoughtful. “..I think I might know where they are.”

  
In the end, we split into two groups. While half of them went to back to talk to the nobles, Viggo led Caesar, Lucious, and I to the palace library.

"I'd like to see the Book of Noble Families."

"Of course, Your Highness."

"I never thought I'd be in the royal library," Caesar said with an impressed whistle.

The librarian set down a set of immense books, their cover glittering with stars. "Please let me know if you need anything else.”

Viggo flipped through the pages. "All of the founding families of Gedonelune were recorded in these books," he said. "I was forced to study it many times."

I went to stand by him, looking through the pages. Even at a glance, I could tell it was filled with names going back ages.

We got to work, each taking a book and going through them.

"I knew these went back far," Caesar said, settling down on my other side, "but I recognize some of these from the Kingdom of Daylight."

"A lot of them married into Gedonelune when the Kingdom of Daylight fell," Viggo said casually.

"What about the Kingdom of Nighttime?" Lucious asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"Didn't you know?" Viggo asked. "Siegfried was from the Kingdom of Nighttime."

"What?!"

"Does that mean that you and Viggo could be related?" Caesar asked.

"..What are you talking about?"

"That's my kingdom! I was a prince just like you!"

"You? A prince?" Viggo let out a distinctly unprincelike snort.

Something occurred to me. Even if we were here for the gems, I couldn't deny the curiosity. "Viggo," I asked, "do you think there's stuff in here about the first king himself? Or the Dragon of Time?"

"..Follow me." Viggo got up, walking down the library hallway.

Curiosity got the best of me. "Did you not know about Lucious before?"

"I think I might have heard something about that back then. I wasn't paying much attention to you all."

"Does it bug you to be working with them now?"

He shrugged. "Not really. As long as they can help us.”

The librarian sat up as he approached. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?" the librarian asked.

"I want to see the restricted section. Her and the dragon are with me," Viggo said firmly. "Not the bunny though."

"Of course, Your Highness."

This section of the library was much smaller, so much that Viggo and I were rather close together. "This is the restricted section?"

"Only the royal family and their guests can come in here," he told me. "Not even the Oxfords are allowed."

"Have you spent a lot of time in here?"

"When I was little, it seemed like the only place where only I could go," he said, hand tracing the dusty bookshelves. "I used to hide in here when they would give me trouble. I'd read the stories of the first king and the Dragon of Time." I could almost picture it, the little Viggo tucked in between the shelves, a book in his hands. But then he grinned, full of his usual pride. "Course then I got big enough to start giving them trouble back."

I couldn't help but giggle. "That sounds like you! A prince who knows his stuff, and who can fight.. You've really got it all." The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them.

"I guess I do."

'Why does my heart keep racing whenever I see him smile?' I thought. 'It's almost like I'm-' I quickly shook my head. 'Come on, this is Viggo!'

Could I really be crushing on Viggo?

  
We settled onto the library floor, Shu settling in my lap. It was a strange sort of familiarity, the three of us, pouring over the old books.

"Here's something on the gems!" I looked over Viggo's shoulder.

"The Dragonkin and humans together created the six gems, one representing each element. The gems were said to come in pairs, each pair sharing special abilities," I read. "The gems of light and darkness would strengthen those of that element.

"The gems of fire and wind would grant special abilities to their wielders. I wonder if that would explain some of Albert's powers. But what power would it give the gem of wind?"

"Swiftness? Speed?"

I read the final pair. "And the gems of earth and water.. the ability to cleanse curses. Huh. I remembered Felix telling me about that. The crystal tower where we found the gem was said to cure curses."

"Do you think you'll ever go back there?"

"Not unless I want an impromptu trip to Queensblade." My gaze turned back to the book, but it didn't give anymore info on the gems.

"Let's keep looking."

  
Another book caught my eye. The book was well-worn, tiny markings on the page.

I opened the page, reading through the familiar tale. But something caught my eye.

'The fierce battle raged on between the two armies. But when all hope seemed lost, the Dragon of Time swept into the battlefield with a mighty roar. The enemy army found that their magic had been lost with the Dragon's song!'

"I've heard about that power a few times,” Viggo said. “Said to be one of the strongest of his abilities."

"And I thought his statue was scary," I said.

"You've seen it?" he asked, eyes wide.

Oops, I forgot that it was forbidden to go to the Tower of Sorrow. "..Once or twice," I admitted.

"Sounds like you got into a bit of trouble too," he said with a grin.

"Oh, more than a few.”

His expression turned serious. “But he wasn't just scary,” he said. “Everything I've read seems to say the same thing. He could be scary, but he was a protector above all else. As kind as he was powerful.”

“That sounds a lot like how Felix described him too. Even he was in awe. But it feels a little strange..”

"Hmm?"

I suddenly found my thoughts a little hard to put into words."By all accounts, he was a force for good, helping the people. It just feels a little strange that we're doing all of this so that he can remain sealed up in that tower. But.. if Hawkeye gets their hands on him, the consequences could be.."

A strange look came over Viggo's face- one that I couldn't place. And then his expression turned stern. "It doesn't matter."

He shook his head, falling silent. And even though we sat together, even if we were bonding- for some reason.. I felt like there was a great distance between us.

'Viggo, what is it you're not telling me?'

  
Gray: That Dragon of Time sure sounds scary. To steal away people's magic like that.. Brrr..

Felix: I feel that. I remember being terrified when I saw him. And in awe.

Gray: You must have been good friends with him.

Felix: Oh no, I only met him the once at a party. Left quite the impression though.

Gray: Huh? But then why did they leave one of the gems to you?

Felix: Beats me. But I figured I might as well take care of it.

Gray: That's a little concerning.. Next time, A Royal Treasure.


	6. A Royal Treasure

Over the next few days, we continued looking through the royal archives, searching for families affiliated with wind and water. To my surprise, a familiar name kept coming up again and again.

"Who knew that the royal family would be so gifted with water magic?" I asked. "It looks like it goes back as far as I can tell."

Viggo looked over my shoulder. He was so close that it sent my heart racing. "My grandfather was said to be particularly gifted at it."

I tried to compose myself. "I-is that where you got your mist magic from?" I asked. Viggo nodded.

"Dad was said to have been able to use something similar. Doesn't use it much now though."

"Then it's entirely possible that the royal family had the gem of water? I mean, it would make sense they'd keep one for themselves." Caesar sighed. "They must have a million jewels to look through though.."

Viggo sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Finding them wouldn't be the difficult part. The treasures of the royal family are kept in a vault, hidden away in a city. But they're all under such heavy guard that even I wouldn't be able to get to them."

I noticed Luca had been silent, staring off into space. "Not all of them.."

By the time we left the library, it was late enough that few souls would be up. Only Viggo, Luca, and I were left.

"Come on," Viggo said, "I'll walk you back to your room."

"Thank you."

Luca stopped him. "Actually, Viggo, I wanted to ask you something. About the gem of water."

Viggo sighed. "I already told you, all of the treasures of the royal family are under lock and key-"

"I know. All except one." Luca smirked. He brushed back his hair, revealing his earring- the treasure of Princess Aulelia.

Viggo went as pale as a ghost. "That was- How did you..?"

"I am Aulelia's son." He paused, then he smiled. "My name is Luciano Ordeous Gedonelune. Long ago, I was hidden away from the royal family, to save my own life- and then hidden away at the academy. The only token I had left of her was this earring."

"You are-" Viggo's eyes widened, at a loss for words.

Luca laughed, relishing finally being able to tell the truth, even if it was just to one. "How funny would it be if I was the one who had the gem? Not the pampered prince within his castle walls, but the son who was cast aside?"

Viggo's expression turned cold, his voice like ice. "So what do you want then?" he asked. "Do you think you'll come in here, tell my dad who you are, and become the new heir? Be beloved by the family, by the kingdom?"

"You can have it, if you want." Viggo smiled, but there was no warmth. "My title, my power, and all the crap that comes with it. You have no idea what it's like! They'd eat you up alive!"

"Oh, really? It looks so easy when you do it." He lunged towards Viggo, grabbing his collar. "You always do whatever you want, cause there's no consequences for you! What I'd give to live in this cozy palace, with your cozy guards, and the family that I never had! I never even had a chance!"

Viggo laughed. "That's rich. You coast by without a care in the world. Not a responsibility to your name. Free to use people as you like. You're no better than the rest of them."

"Guys, guys!" I ran between them, pulling them apart. "Please stop this, you shouldn't be fighting like this!"

Viggo turned away, brushing past Luca. "I'm out of here."

  
  


"Viggo, wait!"

I caught up to him in the gardens. I thought he'd be in a rage or he'd be fuming. But he didn't look angry at all. He just looked.. exhausted, quietly staring up at the moon.

I approached him cautiously. "Viggo?"

He didn't look up at me. "Who'd have thought," he murmured, "all of this time, there was another royal out there, living freely at the academy. No guardians to drag him around, no nobles to come after him. I can't figure out why he'd want to give that all up."

"Luca is.." I sat down beside him, fumbling with my words. "I know he seems carefree, but he hasn't always had it easy. He's had to go through a lot too."

"Figures. If he's Aulelia's son, must be a story there."

"Viggo," I asked carefully, "how much did you know about your aunt?"

He looked off in thought, then sighed. "Not much; she died before I was born. Dad would sometimes tell stories about her, but.. even he didn't seem to know that much about her."

"Huh? How is that possible if they were siblings?"

"They were raised under separate roofs, with different guardians. To 'protect the heirs'." He sighed. "If I had had a sibling, we would have been raised the same way. Even as adults, she was sent away one day- and never came back."

My heart dropped. "I can't imagine living like that.."

"It's the tradition of the royal family. That's way Dad had me raised the same way. Nothing I could do to change it. Or any of the other rules. Between the constant rules and constant visions, my life's always been chosen for me."

My heart broke for him. "Have you ever.. thought about what it would be like if you weren't a prince?"

He was quiet for a moment. "..I guess I came close to it at the academy. Nobody knew who I was. For the first time, I wasn't a prince." He smiled. "I was just a punk getting into trouble."

"That must have been a relief for you."

"It was." His eyes darkened. "But then the Oxfords decided to reveal my identity. Even got Dad to agree. Said it was time. Then there was nowhere I could hide. They all feared me or wanted to use me again. The academy became a prison."

'The academy became a prison..' Seems like I'd heard those words from someone else before. "You know, I think you and Luca are more alike than either of you think."

"What?"

“You're both stubborn. You're both smart when you want to be. You're both troublemakers- goodness knows you've both ended up in the detention chamber enough." I didn't miss the slight smile at that. "And you're both trying to escape.

“There may be some things you can't change. You can't change that you're a prince, and I don't know if you can change your father. But.. you have a chance to form a bond with perhaps the one person in the world who can understand what you're going through. That is something that you can change, if you want to.”

"Something I can change?" I wondered what I heard in his voice.

"Your Highness." The familiar voice broke through my thoughts.

"Headmaster? What are you doing here?"

"I had some business to attend to with the king," Schuyler said coolly. "He asked me to come get you, Your Highness; he has something to ask you."

"..Right." He sighed as he got up. "I'll talk to you later, Liz-"

"Wait." He turned back. It hadn't felt like my place to explain Luca's story, but here was the one person who could. "Ask Schuyler about what you learned tonight. Have him tell you everything. He can explain things better than I can."

Viggo was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded. "..Fine."

By the time we met the next morning, the whole castle with buzzing with news of the next festivities.

A royal tournament. Anyone of noble blood would be invited to participate- and it was said the winner would receive a fantastic prize.

Once again, Luca waited until the others were gone, until it was just the three of us left lingering in the hall.

"A tournament sounds like a lot of fun," Luca said. "I bet everyone's waiting for a chance to fight the famous oracle prince." He grinned." Maybe I'll join. After all, they said anyone of noble blood could participate."

"Why wait?" I saw Viggo draw out his pipe. "We could go to the tournament hall and have a fight right now."

Luca didn't hesitate. "Sounds like fun. Show me the way."

"Viggo!"

Viggo smirked. "Don't worry. This might be the best way to settle things. Get all the aggression out, you know?"

They were both determined to do this. "..Fine. But if this starts getting too bad, I'm going to break it up. No matter what, all right?"

“Follow me.”

Viggo led us down a strange path. “Where are we? I've never been down here before.”

“A secret path to the tournament hall,” Viggo said without looking over his shoulder. “Only the royals and the ones they trust most know about it.”

“How kind of you,” Luca muttered.

My heart was in my throat as we entered the tournament hall. Right then, it seemed barren, but I could see how it would be grand in the light of day.

Viggo and Luca took their places on the opposite sides of the stage, each drawing their wands. I could see certainty in their eyes.

I settled into my seat, pulling Shu close to my chest.

'Please, let everything be all right..'

Viggo nodded. "Your move."

"Flau!" Luca chanted his spell, flames pouring out of his wand.

"Watch out!"

Viggo spun his pipe, releasing a barrier of mist. With a swing, his fist knocked into Luca, but Luca quickly blocked it.

"Not bad."

"I've heard about your tricks. I'm tougher than that." He smiled as he raised his wand. "Let's see how you handle this. Globus!"

The battle seemed to drag on, as they traded blow after blow. No matter how many hits they took, they both got to their feet again, refusing to give up.

"Pugnus Tempestus!" Luca nimbly dodged Viggo's fist of mist- only for Viggo's actual fist to crash into his face, sending him to the ground.

Luca struggled to his knees. "Urgh.. You really are as strong as they say."

"You're not so bad yourself. Come on." To my surprise, Viggo offered his hand, helping Luca to his feet. Luca accepted it. "..That would have been a perfect time to strike."

"Like I would do that." Luca laughed a little. "..I do feel a little better."

I let out a sigh of relief as I watched them, like a pressure had been lifted from my chest. It was like all their tension had been released in their fight.

"The Headmaster told me what you went through. About the tower and all." Luca nodded. "Sounds like you had it rough."

Luca looked away. "..I got my freedom. Eventually."

Seeing that their fight was over, I finally came over to the two of them. "I'm glad to see you're all right."

"Told you. Needed to get it out of our systems." I sighed.

Finally, Luca asked, "..Are you really going to participate in the tournament? Seems awfully compliant of you."

"Someone told me that I needed to bide my time until the time was right." My heart warmed as I heard his words. His voice was firm. "And I think you could help me find it. I could use someone good at gathering information. Someone unknown to the enemy."

Luca nodded. "Well, that's what I'm good at. I'll do what you need."

Viggo smirked. "Just one thing left to do."

My heart caught in my throat as Felix held out his hands over Luca's earring, his horns starting to glow.

'This is it. If this is the gem of water, that'll make four gems.'

But when the light faded, Felix shook his head. "This has a strong presence, but it's not the gem of water."

Luca sighed as he took the earring back. "Figures."

"Where did you get it, anyway?" Felix asked.

"It's an artifact of the royal family." Luca caught himself. "There's a reason that I have it, of course-"

“..I don't really care." Felix turned away. "Call me if you find anything else."

"Cheer up," Viggo said. "Just because it's not the gem doesn't make it less important. Or you any less of a royal."

"Thank you."

My heart warmed as I watched the two of them. After all that fear, it looked like things were going to get better for the two of them.

But we were still left looking for the gems. Although we would soon find one was closer than we thought..

Elias: Well, that was not the way that I expected Luca's secret to come out.

Klaus: You knew?

Elias: Oh, yeah, I've known for quite a while. There was an incident with sneaking into the Tower of Sorrow.. Oh, whoops.

Klaus: What?! Why was I not informed of this?

Elias: Well, you were very busy at the time! Or maybe you weren't around yet? For some reason, I can't remember.

Klaus: We'll talk about this later. But for now.. Next time, Stars.


	7. Stars

I couldn't help but marvel as I looked around the tournament hall. Banners had been hung from every corner, representing the different families competing.

"It looks like they pulled out all the stops for this," I said. "Who's up first?"

Luca looked over his pamphlet. "According to this, Viggo versus Caesar."

Squealing hit my ears. "Look, there he is!"

My breath hitched in my throat as Viggo entered the hall. He was dressed in silver, something akin to armor. I had seen him out of uniform a few times before, but this time was different.

'He looks handsome.' I shook my head, hiding my face. 'Where did that thought come from?'

But Viggo paid no heed to the fangirls, walking by our booth.

"Hey, Viggo!" I said. "Good luck out there. I know you'll do well."

He smiled, full of his usual confidence. "Will you kiss me if I win?"

"Viggo!" I'm sure my face went bright red. He was poking fun at me again- but I found my heart racing. "A-all right. But only if you win."

"I'll be sure to." Just like that, he was off.

"Attention!" All eyes fell on the king, sitting at the head. "It looks like all of our competitors are ready." I saw Viggo adjusting his pipe; Caesar was standing on the other side, fiddling with his necklace.

"Let's have a good, fun competition! You may begin!"

Viggo immediately leaped into action. "Pugnus Tempestus!"

"Ira Tolnis!"

Worry was starting to creep in as I watched them. Caesar was giving a good fight, but he couldn't stand much against Viggo. But the crowd didn't seem to notice, cheering loudly with every hit.

'Caesar can't last much longer. What if Viggo goes berserk?'

Caesar dropped to his knees. "I yield! I yield!"

Viggo pulled back, pipe still in hand. "Come on, get up." He reached down, helping Caesar to his feet.

"And the winner is Prince Viggo La Rochejaquelin Gedonelune!" The crowd burst into wild applause, cheering for him.

"Don't you think it's strange," Lucious said beneath the applause, "that they pitted Viggo against Caesar?"

"Daniel probably had a hand in arranging the matches," I said. "It would make sense that he'd try to pit Viggo against his friends. Either embarrass him when he can't fight- or turn him against him when it can."

My heart ached. We'd made it through this round, but there was still a lot more to go.

The afternoon flew by, in a flurry of fights. It seemed like snapshots. Leslie and Cerim doing their best, Lucious shouting at Zeus not to lose, Alfonse patching up Klaus at the medical tent..

Through it all, I kept looking for Viggo, but he was nowhere to be found, even night fell.

"What a wonderful first round!" the king said, clapping his hands together. "We'll pick things up tomorrow!"

"Could he have gone this way?" My heart was in my throat as I walked down the hall.

'This is Viggo. He knows how to handle himself. So why am I so worried?'

"Cleanse the curse.." My heart jumped as I heard Viggo's voice, quiet and strained. He was leaning against a wall, that distant look in his eyes, Daniel standing by his side.

"What do you see?" Daniel asked.

I quickly ducked behind a pillar, listening to his voice. "Follow the filthy prince to find the shining sea.."

My heart ached. 'He sounds like he's in so much pain..' I heard another set of footsteps.

"You hear that?" Daniel said. "There's only one family who fits that description."

"How useless." There was no mistaking that voice. "The time is soon approaching. We can't mess this up this time."

"Yes, Milady."

'Jaden! I was right, she must be another member of Hawkeye!'

Suddenly, something caught my attention, a glimpse of silver hair, a familiar face. 'No, it can't be-'

"Cordelia?" But when I turned to face her, she was already gone. "Wait!"

"Who's there?" I froze at the demanding voice. I turned around, seeing Viggo. His complexion was ashen, barely standing up. I saw Daniel sitting behind him, but there was not a glimpse of Jaden. "Oh, it's you."

"Y-you didn't show up after your match," I said. "I was worried, so I came to see you."

"Ah, that's right!" Daniel laughed. "I heard about your little promise to the prince."

"T-that's-"

"His Highness was training hard for the next round of the tournament," Daniel said cheerfully, walking up behind Viggo. "I was bringing him to rest."

I had to bite my tongue. "Thank you for taking care of him."

Daniel cheerfully clapped Viggo on the shoulder. "Why don't you go and spend some time with her, Viggo? Since you did so well in today's match."

"..All right."

I took Viggo's hands, bringing him up to the rooftop. When I was sure no one could hear, I turned back to him. "Are you all right? I heard you give another prophecy."

"Tch." He slumped against the wall. "I didn't want to tell him anything. But Daniel's been making me train ever since the first match ended. I always get more visions when I'm exhausted."

White hot anger flared in my chest, and the words came pouring out. "I had no idea that it was like this. They should be taking care of you, not using you!" I realized Viggo was staring at me. "Oh, uh, sorry.."

"No. It's.. nice to have someone be concerned for me." He smiled. "What did I say anyway?"

I carefully repeated the prophecy back to him as best as I could. "What do you think it means?"

"It must have to do with the gem of water. I saw it in my vision. But heck if I know the rest."

"And it sounds like they've already figured it out.." How frustrating. Every time we seemed close, it felt like we took another step back. "What if this vision turns out to be a false lead too?"

"Impossible," he said.

"My visions have never been wrong."

"Never? Not even once?" I said it without thinking, but he avoided my gaze.

He looked off in the distance, avoiding my gaze. "..I'm not sure. There was a time.. I had a vision of a man with the shadow of death. A walking corpse. But the shadow passed, and he's still here."

I'd heard those words before. "Are you talking about Caesar?"

"I saw him transform. But he's still here."

"Well, it's complicated. He did turn into a Wanderer for a little while. It was a little scary," my heart hurt at the memory, "but.. we were able to buy him enough time."

I looked out at the night sky as the memories played out. "It's funny. It was a night just like this. The moon was shining so bright even when we were running for our lives, on a path we thought would disappear. I thought we'd be lost in the waves. It seemed like we'd be lost so many times that night. But we survived. We found the Star Sapphire, and we saved Caesar."

"The Star Sapphire?" Viggo froze, comprehension dawning.

"Yes, it was a gem that was said to cure curses-"

And it hit me. A shining sea. A filthy prince- and a family as old as Gedonelune. Just as Daniel had said, there was only one family that it could be.

"You don't think-"

"It has to be. House Baroque."

"But that's impossible! The Baroques were from the Kingdom of Daylight, they don't have any ties to Gedonelune!"

Viggo stared off, dazed. "Yes, they do." He grabbed my hand. "Come on! We need to find the others!"

The others were all gathered in our meeting room, tending to their wounds, when Viggo ran in.

"Where are the books of nobles?"

"Huh? They're over there." Viggo grabbed one of the books, flipping through it.

"Here! Teresa Adrian, an illegitimate daughter of House Adrian. When she married Ivan Baroque, she brought him an ancestral gem said to break curses!"

"Huh?!" The others stared. "Then that must have been the Star Sapphire!"

"But wasn't the Star Sapphire made by the Dragonkins?" Zeus asked. "That's what Willem told us before."

"We helped to shape the six gems when Gedonelune was new. That's why I can sense which ones are true,” Felix said. “It's entirely possible that it could be the gem we're looking for.”

"But we got to the Star Sapphire through the Labyrinth last time," Hiro said. "And now that the portal's closed, it would be impossible to get back to."

"Actually.." Caesar looked bashful. "When we were fleeing the castle last time- I swiped it."

"What?!"

"Here."

My breath hitched in my throat as Caesar set the gem down on the desk before us. A shining gem the size of a pomegranate, as blue as the sea. Even seeing it the second time, it was no less impressive.

"This is it.” Viggo's eyes widened. “This is the gem I saw in my vision."

“Let me scan it.” My heart raced as Felix's horns began to glow.

'Please, please, let this be correct!'

The light faded. "..There is no doubt. This is the gem of water."

Caesar picked up the gem. Despite his injuries, he was smiling. "To think the gem was with me all along."

"Yes." Viggo gave a weary smile. "Thank you for keeping it safe all this time."

"Not a problem."

"With that, we now have four gems!" And only one left to find.

"I still can't believe it.."

Viggo and I walked on the rooftop together, my mind still reeling with the day's events. First the tournament.

But I noticed Viggo had been strangely silent, staring up at the stars. "Are you all right?"

"We have four of the gems, and Hawkeye only has one. It just feels like everything's going too well. I just keep waiting for the moment that the rug's pulled out from under us."

"I'm sure that won't happen. We have the strength to keep the gems safe."

He shook his head. "I don't have the same optimism you do. I already know how this story ends."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing." He turned away from me, leaning against the railing, and his silence tightened my heart.

This was just like in the library. Once again, he'd closed off himself to me. I wanted to believe that we'd gotten close enough now..

"Viggo, please, talk to me!" I said. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can face it together..!"

His steely gaze fixed on the horizon. "I wondered what it was like to live without knowing what crap the future is going to bring. To be able to dream of what the future could be. Like you have endless time before you." A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "But the future wasn't promised to me.

  
  


"For as long as I could remember, I've had the same vision, and it grows stronger and stronger every time. Stone falling away- and a horrible screeching, and then he's there- The Dragon of Time."

No. No. No.

"That can't be right! You're saying.. the Dragon of Time is going to awaken?"

I don't know how, but it'll happen. No matter what we do, it'll all come crashing down on us, and that's it."

"This is.. You've carried this all your life." Everything made sense. Viggo fought without regard for anything, even his own life.

What would it be like, to carry that burden for so long, trying to face a future when you knew how the world would come crashing down? It would be enough to make anyone apathetic. "Oh, Viggo.."

Lucious: I can't believe you kept the Star Sapphire after all this time!

Caesar: Well, I thought it might be useful if we ever needed to break a curse.

Lucious: You mean like a curse that traps people in the Labrynth? Sure would have been useful around then.

Caesar: I didn't even think about that.

Lucious: Or someone cursed without memories.. Or or-

Caesar: I think that's a bit of a tall order for one gem! It couldn't even break my curse fully!

Lucious: I guess you've got a point. Next time.. Fear.


	8. Fear

Despite all my worries, the second morning of the tournament dawned bright and early. The tournament hall was bustling and full of chatter.

Caesar and Viggo were already sitting in the box when we arrived, chatting like old friends. "Are you feeling any better?" Viggo asked.

Caesar was nursing a wounded arm, but he was smiling brightly. "After yesterday? I feel on top of the world."

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I took a seat next to Viggo. "I thought you'd still be in training."

"Not until it's time for my match. So I don't 'collapse again'. Figured I'd watch the tournament for myself."

"Well, we're happy to have you with us." He seemed so cool and confidant, as if our discussions the night before hadn't happened. I found myself relaxing too.

"Looks like the first match is about to start," Lucious said. I could see Klaus and Albert already getting into place on the stage. "That's going to be a tough one."

"Hey, Viggo, can you tell whose going to win the tournament?" Hiro asked.

"I will," he said, without missing a beat.

"You can see that?" Lucious asked.

Viggo grinned, full of pride. "No, but I'm still going to."

I couldn't help but giggle as I saw them talk. 'It hasn't been that long, but it seems like Viggo's fitting in just fine!'

"Hmm? What are you giggling at?" Viggo asked, looking over at me.

"Oh, nothing."

"Hey, guys!" Luca came running up from nowhere. "I did a sweep of the tournament hall, just like you asked."

“Where did you come from?”

“Been making good use of those tunnels Viggo showed me,” Luca said with a grin.

"Did you.. spot any members of Hawkeye?" I shivered as Viggo's words came flooding back to me. How many of them were lurking in these halls?

"No, nothing like that. But I heard this interesting rumor." He grinned. "A mysterious man has entered the tournament as a last minute addition. Even went toe to toe with Lady Jaden for his match."

In my experience, that only referred to one person. "You don't think it's.."

"There's little doubt," Elias said. "If even he is watching the tournament, we should keep an eye out."

'Vain, what are you up to?'

  
"Ouch, that was a close one!" Zeus beamed up at us from the stage, as his opponent staggered off to the med tent.

"It looks like we have some time before the next match," Viggo said, getting to his feet. "Sounds like a good time to get something to eat."

"I'll go with you!" I followed after him. Without thinking, I asked, "Anybody want anything?"

"Ooh, see if they have chicken!"

"I wouldn't mind getting some muffins," Hiro said.

"..Do you think they'd have cake?"

Viggo rolled his eyes as they called out their orders, taking my hand. "Come on."

Viggo and I fell in step, silently walking together. I could see couples strolling by, chattering about the fights, buying concessions, enjoying their time together.

But still, I felt a shadow creeping on me. I walked closer to Viggo, holding onto his arm. "Are you enjoying the tournament, Viggo?"

"It's not bad. Different than what I remember," he said.

"Huh? I didn't know that you'd been in a tournament before," I said. I thought that he had only been recently revealed. Maybe he had competed in secret?

"Not me, but I used to watch my Dad compete," he said. "He used to be a champion in these. Bit out of practice now."

It was hard to imagine the gentle king fighting like this. 'Then again,' I thought, 'he is Viggo's father.'

He stepped up to the concessions stand and, naturally, ordered a serving of spicy food. "Are you sure you should be eating something so spicy right before a match?"

He shrugged, popping a pepper in his mouth. He hardly looked affected. "Never hurt me before."

"So then, where did you learn to fight? Were you taught by tutors?" I grabbed my own food as we talked.

"I did, but experience has been the best teacher," he said. "I would sneak out of the castle all of the time, into the city." His eyes looked thoughtful, leaning against the counter. "First time I left, I saw some punks harassing a couple. Didn't have my guards with me, so I figured I'd deal with them myself."

"And you beat them by myself?"

He laughed. "Heck no. Got my butt kicked."

That was startling! To picture someone like him getting beaten was strange. "Then why did you go back? Weren't you scared?"

"Why would I be?" He grinned. "It was actually kind of fun. I kept coming back. It was tough, but I learned quick. And I learned where to hide too."

  
We came back to our seats to a cacophony of boos.

"What's going on?"

"Count Anderson is up next," Luca said. "As you can tell, he's a popular one."

"Rumor has it that he's a cruel lord," Elias said. "Known for his mistreatment of his subjects." I saw a man standing on one side of the stage. Across from him, his opponent was trembling.

"Sounds like this'll be fun then." Viggo smirked, setting down his food. In one smooth move, he jumped over the gate.

"Huh?! Viggo, what are you doing?"

Taking out his pipe, Viggo called. "I'll go next. I'd like the chance to fight this baron for myself."

"Is he insane?" They muttered, but Daniel smiled, granting permission with a wave of his hand.

Viggo didn't hesitate. With one sweep, he sent the count into the wall. The crowds went wild, cheering Viggo's name.

I couldn't help but smile as I heard their support. 'Looks like we'll turn things around after all.'

  
The next time I saw Viggo was in the third round. This time, it was Albert standing across from him.

Albert put up a good fight, but he didn't stand a chance against Viggo. With a laugh, he fell to his knees.

"I yield! I yield!"

Viggo didn't wait for the results. He turned on his heel, storming out of the hall. I didn't think, chasing after him.

  
I found him just outside the tournament hall, sitting against the wall. He was shaking, his breathing coming in harsh gasps.

"Viggo, are you all right?!"

"I-I'm exhausted," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I thought I was nearly done for back there. Didn't want to collapse in front of the audience."

I tentatively took a seat next to him. "Daniel's been pushing you really hard in training, hasn't he?"

"Almost every second I'm not fighting on the stage." He groaned. "Ugh. I'm sick of this. Sick of training, sick of fighting just because someone else told me to! Sick of this whole fricken tournament!"

My heart ached to see him this way. Viggo had been doing all of this to act as the prince. "Viggo, why don't you just withdraw from the tournament?"

"Why are you getting so upset?” He sighed. “Weren't you the one who told me to wait for the right moment?"

“Viggo!” I-I- I can't stand to see you hurting like this! We're not even halfway through the tournament yet, and he's practically driven you into the ground!"

He was the one who had told me. But I didn't understand, couldn't understand. Why did he keep pushing himself like this, when he knew how it all would end?

He shook his head with a weary smile. "I'll be fine. I'm not gonna give him the satisfaction of seeing me withdraw either. Just need a little time to rest."

How stubborn he was. "Then here." I scooted up next to him. "Put your head on my shoulder, like you did before. Rest a little while with me."

"All right." He scooted closer to me, his head resting on my shoulder. Being so close, I could feel the tension easing from his shoulders.

How strange. He was so close to me, but it didn't feel strange at all. It felt comfortable to be with Viggo.

I finally dared to speak up. "Viggo, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

“Why do you dislike snow?” I remember the strange look he'd had whenever he spoke about it.

“Part of my vision,” he said. “Once the Dragon of Time awakens, the weather system breaks.”

I shivered at his words. "I keep thinking about what you said before. I'm.. scared." The words came pouring out before I could stop them. "I keep feeling jumpy, like there's something lurking around every corner. And it's only been one day for me, you've had to carry this knowledge for all of your life. But you just keep fighting like everything's normal. I-I just don't understand."

To my surprise, he laughed. "What else am I supposed to do? Sit around and cry?"

"No, but.."

"It got easier," he said. His voice almost sounded gentle. "I was frozen for the first few days. Afraid to do anything."

"You were?" It was strange to imagine someone like Viggo ever being afraid.

"But the days kept coming, and the moment didn't come. Hasn't come yet. I thought, why not take what I can get? Can't change how the story ends, but there's something right in front of me. I can fight, or I can get rid of a pest. I'm not going to stand aside if there's something I can change.”

I felt better hearing his voice. No matter what, there were things I could change now. I had almost forgotten that. "Thank you, Viggo." He had gone strangely still. And I heard him snoring softly.

I giggled a bit at that. 'Well, I did tell him to rest.'

We sat there a while longer. Strangely, I didn't feel afraid anymore. And even as we waited, no shadows came for us.

  
"You did a good job out there, Viggo." Despite all our worries, Viggo had come out even stronger, making it through the semifinals.

Viggo sighed as he brushed past us. "Only a little time left before the next match. I'm going for a walk."

"I'll come with you!" I hurried after him.

  
We walked together through the winding hallways. "Just a little longer," he said. "Just have to make it through one more match."

"I can guess who you're going up against. Looks like you're finally going to meet Vain."

“Your Highness.” Jaden's voice stopped us. She walked out from the shadows, as calm as could be. “What are you doing out before the tournament?”

“Oh, Jaden, we were just out for a..”

Viggo glared at her. “You're not alone.”

“Urgh!” A silver attack of magic whizzed by us. And I saw an all too familiar face.

'Cordelia.'

She smiled. "It's been a long time, dragon girl."

All at once, we were surrounded by shadowy figures, and Jaden smirked. "Now, why don't you make things easy and hand over the key and the gems?"

"A small army against two people?" Viggo scoffed. "Hardly seems fair. Lucky for you, I've been waiting for a fight like this!"

I raised my wand. "Let's go! Don't hold anything back!"

“Gladly!” Viggo leaped into the battle with wild abandon, exhaustion lost in the thrill of the fight, sending attacks every which way. He sent a barrage of attacks at the men, sending them away into the walls.

"Saggita Lumen!" Gathering all my strength, I sent spell after spell at them, knocking them down. Cordelia was a blur around us, moving like a dance.

One of the men reached forward, grabbing for an item around his neck, but Viggo moved first, headbutting him, sending him into the wall. "Gonna have to try harder than that!" The man dropped something on the ground, and Viggo quickly picked it up. His eyes widened. "Do you see this?”

There was no mistaking that symbol. “That's..”

"I think I know what to do. Hold on tight."

"Huh?" Viggo suddenly lifted me up in his arms, carrying me like a bride. "Viggo!"

"Hold on!" He took off running down the halls, weaving down the tunnels he'd shown me before.

"After them, Dahlia!" Jaden called.

He wove through the attacks, knocking them back as he went. In fact, he seemed to be coming back the way we came.

Cordelia was gaining on us! 'I have to do something!' I grabbed my wand.

"Saggita Lumen!"

At the same time, she sent out a silver wave-

Our attacks collided, sending Cordelia to the floor- and us through the wall!

"Eep!" I held onto Viggo, latching around his neck as we went through.

I saw bright lights- and we found ourselves back in the tournament hall.

"Viggo!" The king's voice boomed. Immediately, he was on his feet, Daniel following behind him. His eyes widened as he saw him. “You're wounded! What happened to you two?”

"We were attacked!" Viggo set me down on my feet, staggering. The king caught him in his arms. "You can follow the trail back, all the way through the halls. I'm sure you'll find many familiar, criminal faces behind them. The faces of Hawkeye.”

“Hawkeye? Are you sure?”

“That's not a surprise. But I'm curious if you can explain why the men were carrying this.” He held out the item we'd found- carved unmistakably with the Oxford crest.

  
Albert: Well, that tournament was a lot of fun! I thought I'd make it further, but it's no shame to lose to a prince.

Zeus: That's all we got to see of the tournament? You didn't get to see my awesome skills in battle!

Albert: Look on the bright side, that also means that they didn't have to see you lose against-

Zeus: Hey, he cheated, all right?! I could have totally taken him in a fair fight. No need for anybody to see that!

Albert: I'm sure. Next time, The Last Match.


	9. The Last Match

"Your Majesty!" Daniel went pale as a ghost.

“Silence!” The king turned to his guards at once. “Inspect the passage. See if what he said is true. As for the rest of you, come to the throne room.”

  
I wasn't sure how long it was, waiting in the throne room, before the guard slipped in again. The king paced anxiously, and Daniel stood behind him.

“Well?”

“It is just as His Highness said. Many of the men we found were recognized criminals- members of the organization Hawkeye. And..” The king's guard paused, before he said, “And many have been recognized as Daniel's guards.”

“What?! How could this be? Hawkeye within our castle.”

"It's because they've had a man of the inside all of this time,” Viggo snarled. “Daniel's been working with them from the start!”

Your Majesty,” I said, “didn't you think it was weird that Daniel kept Viggo training so much? He must've known this would be the opportune moment to strike, when he would be at his most exhausted.”

Daniel went pale as a ghost. “Y-Your Majesty-”

“His desire was to bring destruction to Gedonelune,” Viggo cried, “using the six gems to tear us apart!”

"Y-Your Majesty!" Daniel cried.

"Enough!" He looked between us. "Tell me everything. From the start."

  
Finally, the truth came out. The king listened in silence as we told him about Cordelia, about the Dragonkin Ruins, about the attack in Queensblade, about the search for the gems within the court. Daniel stood silent behind him, his usually unshakeable confidence gone.

"To think that they would be lurking in this castle the whole time.."

"I-I had no idea about any of this," he said. "They must have been acting on their own!"

"Even if that is true," Viggo said, "why should we keep you around? Your men are traitors, and they're all you have." He grinned. "I'd be better off with another guardian that I can trust. And who is strong enough."

"Y-Your Majesty!"

"Unless, of course, you want to prove your strength for yourself?"

The king looked at him in alarm. "..What are you proposing?"

"I want him punished for what he put me through. Heck, I want to punch him myself," Viggo growled. "So I say we have one final match in three days. A fitting final to the tournament that he pushed so hard. Me versus him. If he wins, he can do as he likes. But if I win, I get full freedom. No more Oxford guards- and Daniel gets what's coming to him."

  
Viggo sighed as we left the throne room, slumping against the wall. “That was nervewracking..”

"I'm proud of you," I said honestly as I sat down beside him. "That was really amazing. You seemed so cool and confident, taking charge of yourself." I found myself gushing, but it didn't seem to matter, when I was with him.

After everything we'd been through, he'd changed. He'd found his moment- and struck. That was something worth the praise.

"Heh." His expression softened. "..I couldn't have done it without you. I probably would have just kept fighting them in that clearing. You gave me the idea.”

“I was only helping you. But..” Something was still bugging me. “Why did they attack you? You didn't have the gem.” I remembered the gem of fire on my belt. Luckily, Caesar still carried his.

“They were after this.” He pulled on something around his neck. “Remember when I said the treasures of the royal family are in one place? This is the key.”

“How strange.” I had seen it so many times, but I'd never realized it was a key.

“And.. that includes the key to awakening the Dragon of Time,” he said.

My heart caught in my throat. “What is it?”

“A belt. All of the gems are placed on it. Then they bring it to the Tower and.. well.”

I felt strange hearing his voice. 'I don't know what this is, but I want to stay with him.'

"They won't get ahold of it,” I assured him. “The battle's almost over. Freedom's not far behind."

"Just a little while longer. Just one more battle to go."

We had three days till the final battle. It wouldn't feel long at all.

  
That night, Viggo called for us to meet on the rooftop.

“It seems like a lot of the members of Hawkeye were captured,” he said, “but Jaden wasn't among them.”

My heart sank. “She must have fled..”

“And there's no doubt that she'll be helping Daniel in the match.” He took out his telescope. “I've been searching the stars for answers.”

"What did you see?"

"I saw shadows lurking in the dark. More than I could count. And I saw Jaden slipping something into his hand." Viggo folded his arms. "Though I couldn't make out what it was."

That's right. This wasn't just Viggo's burden to carry alone. We had to do our best for him too. "We can be searching through the tournament hall while you're fighting!" I said.

"That's right! We'll help you!"

"I've been waiting to get my hands on those of Hawkeye," Felix muttered.

"We'll sniff them out," Elias said.

I saw Viggo relax a little. And seeing him before us, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"..What is it?"

"I think you're starting to look like a proper leader, Viggo."

  
The next morning, to my surprise, I found Viggo and Luca in the library.

“I thought that you'd be preparing for the battle,” I said lightly as I sat next to him.

“Something is still bugging me. We were searching for the records on the Orian family,” he said. “I wanted to see if Jaden might possess the gem of wind after all.”

“What did you find?”

He sighed. “Seems pretty likely to me.”

“The records don't go into specifics,” Luca said with a sigh, “but everything said they have a gem going back to the first king.”

My heart sank. “So it's possible that Jaden has the gem.”

“Or Dahlia,” Viggo said idly.

“What are you talking about? Dahlia died.”

“You mean, you didn't notice?” Viggo looked up in surprise. “That woman that we captured.. Jaden called her Dahlia back there.”

“Are you talking about Cordelia?”

“Yes. The resemblance was unmistakable too.” Trust Viggo to be the one to notice that.

My heart dropped. But suddenly a lot of things were making sense. “..Viggo, where is she now?”

  
As I pushed open the cell doors, I saw her. Her wrists were bound, but she was sitting against the wall. "I didn't think we'd see each other again so soon, dragon girl.” Her voice was cold as ice. "Are you happy to see me like this?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," I said. Truth be told, I felt nervous- but I couldn't show it.

I felt Viggo take my hand. He met my eyes, and it was like my worry faded. I couldn't be worried when he was by my side. I knew he'd protect me.

I took a deep breath. "Randolph told me about you. A promising student at the academy, who gave everything up when Jaden brought you into Hawkeye. Why did you go with her? What could she have promised you?"

"That's none of your business."

"Give it up. Jaden already told us," Viggo said. "She's your sister, isn't she?"

That did it. "Shut up!" she snarled, lunging forward. "Shut up!"

"They told us the two of you were separated when your parents died. You had lost so much. But Jaden found you at the academy. She promised you the family that you never had. You gave everything up to follow her."

"Shut up!" she snarled, lashing out against her chains. Viggo stepped between us, shielding me. "You have no idea what it was like! An orphan, all alone in this world, without anybody to care, without so much as a name! All I had left was.." I saw her hand press against her collar, reaching for something that wasn't there. "All I had was..!"

My heart hurt for her, and I stepped forward without thinking. "Why do you think I don't understand? I know what it was like," I said gently. "I was an orphan too. I wished for someone to find me. I know how scared you must have been, how alone that you felt." I felt Viggo's hand tighten in mine. Cordelia stopped- and I could see that she was trembling. "I understand why you followed her into the dark. But she is not who you think she is,” I said. "She abandoned you-"

"She had to!" she snarled. "She had to leave me for the good of Hawkeye! I failed her! I knew this was the price that I paid! Leave me be!" she cried. "Leave me be!"

I could see it. No matter what I said here, nothing would reach her.

"Come on." Viggo guided my shoulder. "Let's go."

  
Finally, the last day of the tournament dawned.

Viggo was waiting outside the tournament hall. Despite his usual confidence, he seemed to waver. "You're here."

"I wanted to wish you good luck before the match."

This would be the most important battle of Viggo's life. His freedom was riding on this- as well as so much else. What could I possibly say to calm him?

"Viggo! If you win this match, I'll give you a kiss!"

What possessed me to say that? Was I wanting to kiss him?

He smiled, and his nerves seemed to steady. But that smile sent my heart racing. "That's reason enough for me."

  
Alfonse and I walked together through the tournament hall; I kept my wand at the ready.

'Whatever shadows are out there, I'm ready.'

We walked through the area, but Alfonse idly looked up. "Look. The match is about to start."

Daniel stood at one end of the hall. Despite his usual evidence, he seemed to be shaking. And Viggo stood at the other end, his pipe at the ready.

'He looks like his usual self now,' I thought.

"Begin!" And suddenly I couldn't tear my eyes away. Daniel leaped forward- and punched Viggo in the face!

Viggo stumbled back clutching his jaw, but I saw his eyes light up. "You punk." He smiled. "That's more like it. Pugnus Tempestus!"

His fist came down on Daniel over and over; the man was barely able to stagger to his feet, just barely able to dodge some of his hits.

The audience roared with cheers. Even I couldn't keep the smile off on my lips. 'Not so tough now! Daniel's probably not used to a fair fight.'

But I noticed Viggo drawing closer to him. "What is he doing?" Alfonse asked. "His magic should be enough to keep him at bay."

"It looks like I have no choice." I could just make out him reaching into his pocket-

"Viggo, watch out!"

Daniel threw something at the ground- and a huge cloud of smoke billowed out, consuming the battlefield.

"Viggo!"

"Stay back!" Alfonse grabbed me, pulling me back. I quickly covered my mouth to block out the smoke, but I still found myself looking desperately for Viggo. "I recognize this scent! This is..!"

'Viggo, please, be all right-'

"You're not getting away!" Viggo's voice boomed through the smoke. Mist seeped through the smoke, and I saw Viggo leaping towards him- until I could no longer see them in the smoke.

"We need to get him out of there now!"

  
Luca: Well, that was quite an exciting fight.

Albert: It's certainly more fun seeing Viggo fight than being the one to fight him.

Luca: And fun to see Daniel getting beat up too.

Albert: It would have been more fun to see his brother be the one in the fight. I would've paid to see that.

Luca: What happened to Lord Oxford anyway?

Albert: I.. don't know. Perhaps he's back at his mansion, fighting Hipogriffs?

Luca: That sounds a little scary.

Albert: Next time, Freedom.


	10. Freedom

My mind was racing as I waited outside of the castle infirmary, the voices inside seeming like a dull roar.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Viggo was supposed to win, he was supposed to win his freedom.

'I can't lose him,' I thought, and my heart ached. There was still so much I wanted to do with him. I wanted to see the town. I wanted to dance with him. I wanted to be by his side longer. 'Please, be all right. Please let him be all right.'

"Liz?" I turned to the voice. "You can come in now."

Viggo was slowing sitting up on the bed. I saw the king hovering at his side. Despite his gentle smile, it looked like he had been crying.

"It was a little touch and go there, but he should be all right," the doctor said. "His mist absorbed most of the smoke."

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness." My legs nearly gave out at his side.

"I'll give you two a moment alone," the king said, slipping out of the room.

As soon as he left, all that worry came flooding back to me. "What were you thinking?! Alfonse said that was poison smoke! Daniel could have killed you!"

"I'm sorry to worry you," he said. "There was something that I needed from him."

"What is it? What could be worth your life?"

With a weak smile, he drew something from his pocket. And my breath hitched at the sight- a crystal shining with many colors. I knew the sight well.

"Is that-"

"The gem of earth," he said. "I knew he was too arrogant not to try to use it in the battle. So I had to take it from him.”

I felt tears in my eyes as I took the gem. Viggo, who never believed in a future, had risked his life, had risked the fight, to take back the gem for us.

And all the pieces fell into place, as I realized just why my heart ached when I was with him. Oh. Oh.

"And that.. makes five."

The days passed as we drew closer to the ball, and Viggo quickly seemed to regain his strength. And all the while..

"Disappeared without a trace?"

"Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him," Albert said. "I've heard Lord Oxford's sent out a search party, but even he's not having much luck."

Viggo smirked. "Guess that means I won."

My heart warmed to see his smile. Despite all the scares, he'd done it. He'd won his freedom and the gems. "You did. And now you're free to do whatever you want!"

"In that case," he suddenly grabbed my hands, pulling me close, "let's go out tonight. We can sneak into town."

"Would that really be all right?"

"Why not? We've got time."

"I'm certainly not telling anyone," Albert said with a wink.

All the weight of the world had been on our shoulders. But everything was over now. A night on the town might not be so bad. "All right. You're on!"

"Shh! Careful now!" Viggo took my hand as he led me down the path.

“Is this one of the secret tunnels you told me about? I thought only the royal family was allowed.”

“And their most trusted. Plus, its the easiest way to sneak into the town.”

Going into town together, sneaking away, the lights shining above us, it all felt suddenly familiar. "This is just like that first night we went out together."

"I remember," he said, but he was smiling. "Going out with you was the only good part of that night."

I felt my cheeks burn at the unexpected compliment, so I turn around. "You said it so easily."

He laughed, taking my hand. He seemed to shine in the moonlight, a brilliant smile on his lips. "Come on, I'm gonna show you something.”

Just like before, we slipped through the alleys, down streets I didn't know existed. But it was different this time. No guards to chase us, no secrets to keep, just the two of us walking together in the night.

I knew that I would follow him wherever he wanted to go. As long as I could feel his hand in mine.

'I'm really.. falling for him.'

We slipped down twisting hallways- until we came to a magnificent set of locked doors.

He came up to the door, grinning as his hands brushing against the metal. "Huh, to think that it was so easy. This place is usually crawling with guards."

"Where are we?"

"The vault of the royal family. All of the treasures of the royal family are sealed away in here- including the key to awakening the Dragon of Time.”

"So we really could just.. go in if we wanted to?”

"It's funny, isn't it?” He tugged on the key. “I used to think about coming here with this key, taking what I could, and running away. Leaving all this prince stuff behind." He reached for the door. "It would be easy to do it now. But.. I don't want to."

“You don't?”

“Weight of the world's off my shoulders. Maybe this being a prince thing's not so bad.” He turned away with a grin, pulling me along. "Come on, let's go."

Memories came flooding back as we turned down another hidden alley, into a street that shone.

"This is where we came before. That little place where no one knows your name. I know a little restaraunt around here.”

But, as we stepped up to the restaurant, I heard voices behind us.

"Is that the prince?"

Viggo stiffened. "Guess the news would reach even here."

That's when an idea occurred to me. "See, honey?" I said in a loud voice, nudging him. "I told you that you looked like the prince, but you said noooo. Now there's going to be all sorts of rumors floating around!”

He sighed, winding an arm around my waist. I didn't miss his smile. "Guess you were right. Maybe we can get the prince to let us borrow some of his guards?"

"Huh?" The pair looked genuinely perplexed. "You're not the prince?"

"Sorry, buddy."

"We're just simple academy students," I lied. I laughed, tossing my hair. "Though it's a little flattering to think that someone like me could end up with a prince."

"Looks like I've got competition."

"Oh, sorry, dude." I could barely contain my giggles as the two of them walked off. Viggo's laughter joined mine.

"You know, that reminds me," Viggo grinned, leaning in close, "you promised a kiss if I won." And I was suddenly aware of his hands around my waist, of that devillish smile. He was so close to me that I could feel his breath on my skin, but I didn't want to pull away.

'Would it be so bad to kiss Viggo?'

"A-all right." I leaned up towards him-

"Stop."

I froze. Was he messing with me? Maybe he'd figured I had feelings for him. Perhaps this was all just a cruel joke.

But he smiled, brilliant and sweet in the moonlight. "I have a better idea. Save your kisses for now- and be my partner for the ball."

"You.. want me to be your partner for the ball?"

"Got a problem?"

Worry started to seep into my heart. This would be Viggo's first official public appearance as prince. Did I deserve to stand by his side?

And suddenly, the words started pouring out. "You're a prince, and I'm.. just a clumsy wizardess for nowhere. I don't really know how to act at a ball, how to be a partner, how to be a noble, I'm just-"

"I don't care about that." He suddenly grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face him. My breath caught in my throat at his serious expression. "You're the only one in this whole darn place who sees me for who I am, not just a prince. You're the one who stayed by my side. It doesn't matter where you came from, you're the one who did it, and you're the one I chose."

"Viggo.." His unexpected tender words touched my heart. What a fool I was, to think anything else would matter. I felt tears in my eyes, trying to brush them away. "Thank you."

"So what do you say?"

"Of course I'll go to the ball with you!"

"Excellent.” He smiled, grabbing my hand. "Come on, there's one more place we've got to go."

We came to a place that I didn't recognize- a tower reaching up. And yet Viggo walked in casually as if he had been here a million times before.

"Where are we?"

"Careful." He took my hand as he led me up the stairs. Stepping into the room, I saw a large telescope in the middle. "The royal family's observatory. Though no one's here for the night."

"I think you told me about this before. It seems like your kind of place."

"You haven't seen the best part." He pressed a button on the wall, and a panel opened in the ceiling, revealing the stars. My breath hitched in my throat. From here, the stars looked crystal clear, casting everything in a glow.

"It's so beautiful.."

"Harder to find a place in Gedonelune where the stars are clearer," he said. "Here, come on." He laid down on the ground, and I laid down next to him. It felt natural, like this was where I was meant to be,

"I used to come here with Dad all the time. He said that this would help me with my powers." His tone was wistful, his eyes shining, smiling without a care in the world."After I had visions, we would sit here for hours, trying to pick out the constellations and name the stars. I started learning to control my powers that way."

I couldn't help but feel a little playful. "You know," I said, teasingly, leaning in closer to him, "I heard the prince is a brilliant astronomer."

"They're not wrong. You see that one?" I followed his finger, tracing the figure with my eyes.

"It looks like.. a man getting ready to fight?"

"Orion," he said. "A famous hunter. Though it's not his time yet."

The voice that normally seemed so cold seemed so full of warmth. And I couldn't keep my eyes off his face, his eyes shining with light as he told me about each star.

"Came here a lot after they announced they were going to reveal the Night Class. Saw so many new faces- and then those faces started showing up in my visions. First Caesar, the shadow of death hanging over him. And then when I met you- stuck in that rotten cage, you started to show up."

A familiar memory came back. It had all seemed hopeless- and then Viggo had swooped in and saved us, like a prince in a fairy tale. "That day.. when Caesar and I were trouble in the market, and you came to save us, was that because of a vision?"

He snorted. "That was just good luck," he admitted. "Just happened to hear your voices."

"I'm glad you did though. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't. You actually helped us a lot over the last few months."

"What do you mean?"

"Like when I was searching for info on Princess Claudia. It would've taken me ages to find out, but you just pointed us in that direction so easily."

"I remember that. I had a vision of you in that old mansion. When you came around, I thought what the heck, couldn't hurt to nudge you in the right direction."

His expression suddenly turned serious. "I suddenly got a lot of visions of you when the Oxfords got my guardianship. And not ones that helped you." His eyes darkened, and I knew what he was thinking of. "I just.. wondered why I kept seeing visions of you."

"Do you think your visions were leading us here?"

"Who knows?" he said, but he smiled, that brilliant smile that sent my heart racing. "But we're here. And that's enough for me."

Staying by his side, the two of us gazing at the stars.. I wished I could stay in that moment forever.

After that, we slipped back into the palace, following the tunnels Viggo had shown me.

"No one should be up by now-"

But, to my surprise, the king was already waiting at the doors. "Ah, Viggo, Liz," he said cheerily, "did you have a nice night out?"

I froze. He had caught us red-handed! What could I say to that? "Y-Your Majesty! I can explain!"

"No need, it's all right! A little birdy told me you two were heading out for the night. I'm just glad if you two had fun."

"A little birdy?" I looked over at Viggo, and he avoided his gaze.

"..Figured I shouldn't worry him now that things are looking better," he muttered.

I couldn't help but smile. 'That's actually kind of cute.'

Our days passed peacefully, and, just like that, it was the night of the ball.

But we had gotten too relaxed. None of us were prepared for what was waiting for us. That day would go down in history. By the time the Midnight bells struck, the Dragon of Time would awaken.

Felix: It looks like everything is coming to an end. They've managed to get five of the gems, and they're going to the ball together.

Hugo: You sound a little upset. Were you going to ask her?

Felix: W-why would I ask a human? Although I suppose, if she didn't have a partner..

Hugo: It seems like we're not so different.

Felix: Don't tell me you were going to ask her!

Hugo: Next time, the Ball.

Felix: Hey, answer the question!


	11. The Ball

It was strange. The night that the world would change, and I was simply adjusting my dress for the ball.

'I can't believe we pulled this off.' It had been a bit of a rush to prepare, but the maids had helped me to pick out a wonderful dress, themed after the sun.

I heard a knock at the door. "Coming!"

My breath hitched in my throat as I saw Viggo. He was dressed in a silver outfit; a midnight blue cape adorned with stars was draped over his shoulders, and a silver circlet rested on his brow. There was no mistaking him for anything but a prince now.

His eyes widened as he saw me. "You look good."

"Thanks!” I giggled as I realized it. My dress was sun-themed, and his outfit shone like the moon. “We look like a perfect match.”

He smiled. “That we do."

"I can't believe it's finally time. Tonight will be your introduction to the world." I took his hand, and he squeezed mine tight. "Are you nervous?"

"Not sure. Never really thought it would get to this point. Always seemed like the world was going to end first."

"But it didn't," I said. The fear I'd felt in that tournament hall seemed a lifetime ago. I smiled at him. "You earned your freedom and saved us. And the one who did that.. the brave prince, that's the one they're dying to meet."

He smiled. "I guess they are. Come on, let's go."

The doors opened to a grand staircase. The messenger blared, "Announcing- His Highness, Prince Viggo La Rochejaquelin Gedonelune and his partner, Lady Liz Hart!"

I could feel all eyes on us as we walked into the ballroom, whispering as we walked together. "So that's the prince. I've heard so many things about him.."

"Who is that beautiful woman with him?"

From on high, I could see the whole ballroom, everyone dressed in their finest, sparkling like jewels. The ceiling had been transformed into a sea of stars, casting everyone in a brilliant glow. 'I never thought I'd get to walk down a grand staircase like this, like a princess out of a fairytale- let alone the man who'd be by my side.'

I saw the king and queen on their thrones, smiling proudly. I felt Viggo's hand tighten in mine.

“Ah!” I was so distracted I nearly lost my footing on the last step, but Viggo quickly caught me.

"Your Highness." A warm, familiar voice greeted us. Shezarade was waiting at the base of the stairs with a warm smile. She curtsied before him. "Let me be the first to congratulate you on your introduction to the world."

"Queen Zenobia." He took her hand. "I've heard a lot about you. Amazing to think that someone my age would be ruling a country."

"And I've heard a lot about you. The mysterious prince of Gedonelune, hidden away for all these years. Certainly makes one curious where you've been all these years."

"In and out of trouble, mainly," he said without batting an eye.

"Trouble?" She giggled. "I know a thing or two about that."

As we moved through the ballroom, noblemen and royalty alike would come up to greet us, and Viggo returned the greetings in his own way. The conversations seemed to flow easily.

'Seems strange that that first party was only a few weeks ago,' I thought. The ones who had gazed at him with uncertainty now looked towards him in admiration, and Viggo seemed to relax, joking with the nobility and royalty.

"They adore you, Viggo~"

"They're pretty fond of you too," he said. "It's amazing how many of them seemed to know you personally. Queen Zenobia, Lady Hinoe, even the queen of the fairies."

"Oh, Eress is an old friend." I couldn't help but giggle. "I've met all sorts of peoples on my travels. Though, truth be told, some of them I didn't even know were royals until later."

"Oh?"

"Well, I met Shezarade when she was in disguise, and Eress had lost her memories," I said. I couldn't resist poking a bit of fun. "And then of course, there was this one prince who seemed to have a knack for getting himself in detention."

"No idea what you're talking about," he said, without missing a beat, but he smiled, wrapping his arm around me. "Sounds like travelling with you would be a lot of fun."

I giggled as he pulled me close. "I'd love to travel with you. We could see the world together."

"And get the royal treatment the whole time," he said.

I felt my heart in my throat as I looked in his eyes. In all this time, we still hadn't really broached the subject. "Are you getting used to this prince thing? You seem more.. comfortable."

He sighed. "It's not as bad as I thought. Especially now that things are better with Dad, and you know who's not breathing down my neck.. Guess there are certain perks I could get used to."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Liz, Viggo!" I looked up to see Willem, Lacan, and Felix coming our way.

"Ah, it's so good to see you again!" It had only been a few weeks since I'd seen Willem or Lacan, but it seemed like a lifetime.

"We wanted to pay our respects to His Highness." Willem bowed.

"Hugo should be around here somewhere, but he was meeting up with someone," Lacan said.

"Who are you?" Viggo asked.

"This is Lacan, the third Dragonkin Reciter. He's the one who carries the gem of Light," I said.

Lacan grinned, bowing. "Still safe with me, all this time, Your Highness. Although from what I've heard, seems like you no longer need it."

"Thank you."

Just then, sweet music drifted through the air. The Reciters chuckled. "We'll leave you to it."

And suddenly all eyes were on me and Viggo. Of course. This was the prince's ball- which meant it was time for the prince and his partner to dance.

Viggo grinned and offered his hand, sending my heart racing. "Shall we?"

"Of course."

I took his hand. He clasped his hand around my waist, and suddenly we were close, so close that he was all that I could see.

"Just follow my lead."

I fell in step with him, led by his gentle touch. He whisked me across the ballroom.

"I didn't know that you could dance," I said without thinking.

He smirked. "I am a prince, after all. I've learned a thing or two." He suddenly tightened his hand around my waist. "Come on, let's give them a show. Hang on tight."

He moved fast. He twirled me around the ballroom, until I was breathless. He lifted and tipped me back over and over again.

  
  


And he was close, so close I could feel his heart beating against mine, his arms wrapped around me, and his breath on my skin. I looked into his golden eyes, and my heart was racing. Nothing else seemed to matter, like we were the only ones left in the world.

'I wish I could stay like this forever..'

Applause broke through my thoughts. I realized everyone was staring at us. Viggo pulled me back to my feet, but he didn't let go of me. And I didn't want him to.

I wasn't sure how long we kept walking through the ballroom, chatting with nobles and visiting with friends. In the middle of it all, I heard bickering voices.

"I'm telling you, they were supposed to be here by now!" We followed the voices to find Zeus, Lucious, and Hiro in a hidden corner.

"What's going on here?" Viggo asked.

"It's nothing for you to worry about," Zeus said, but he looked more worried than I'd ever seen him.

"Zeus's parents were supposed to meet us here, but they haven't shown up yet," Hiro said. "It's not like them to be late to a party."

Viggo grew tense. “That gives me a bad feeling..”

"Viggo." I looked up to see the queen standing behind him. Although her expression was calm, I noticed her twisting her hands. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

We stepped to the side with her. "What is it?"

She lowered her voice. "I can't seem to find your father anywhere. He's supposed to be giving a speech any minute now." I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I'm.. sure that he's just gotten held up somewhere," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I took Viggo's hand in mine. "Let's go look for him."

"Dad? Where are you?"

As we walked through the halls, I could feel Viggo's hand tighten in mine. The queen hurried ahead of us, looking through the halls.

'Everything's going to be all right, isn't it?'

"Viggo?" My heart jumped as I heard the king's voice from the doorway.

The queen hurried in. "Auron, thank goodness you're all right-"

-And was immediately met with a blade pressed against her neck.

"Mom!"

"Nice of you to join us, Your Majesty." Jaden smiled. "You're just in time to join your husband."

She caught the queen in a grip, her blade poised against her neck.

And I saw Daniel behind her- his blade wrapped around the king's throat.

'No, no, no-'

"You!" Viggo lurched forward, but he stopped as Daniel raised his blade.

Daniel chuckled. "You may have disgraced me, but my time here was useful. Standing at the king's side, I learned every secret of the palace- including every secret way to sneak in. I'm sure my friends have made good use of them."

I remembered what Zeus had said about his parents, and I had a sinking feeling we weren't the only ones caught in their trap. "What have you done?"

"Let them go!" Viggo snarled.

"And why would we do that?" Jaden asked. "The life of a king and queen.. Perhaps not as precious as the six gems, but I imagine they are to someone."

I could see Viggo waver. One wrong move, and both of them would be lost.

"We'll make this simple. You know what we want. Bring the gems to the Tower of Sorrow by midnight, and we'll let them go. You can watch the destruction of your precious Gedonelune as a family."

"And if I refuse?" Viggo asked, but his voice was wavering.

She just laughed. "Then I guess this Foundation Day will mark the start of your reign, soaked in your parent's blood." Her grip tightened on her blade, and the queen let out a whimper.

'I need to do something!' But what could we do?

"Don't do this, Viggo," the king said. "Our lives aren't worth it!"

"Silence!" Daniel barked.

"Let's go. You have your choice to make."

We'd worked so hard, fought so hard, to gather the gems, to keep them safe from Hawkeye's hands. But now Hawkeye held the life of the king and the queen. If we made the wrong choice, Viggo would have to live forever with their blood on his hands.

"Jaden, wait!" I wasn't sure what possessed me to call out to her, but she stopped.

"What is it?"

"Even if.. we gave you the gems, it still wouldn't be enough. We only found five of the gems."

"You still haven't figured it out, have you? Looks like you're not as smart as we thought." She smirked. "Well, it doesn't matter. Bring what you have to the Tower of Sorrow."

With that, they were gone- taking the king and queen with them, and leaving us with an impossible choice.

Lucious: So after everything, it looks like the world is going to end like this. There's no doubt that the Dragon of Time will awaken now.

Hiro: I always knew I'd spend my last hours at a party, but I didn't think it would be like this..

Lucious: I never even got a chance to see the world. Maybe the dragon will be nice and give us a bit more time?

Hiro: I don't think you understand how dragons work. Especially when they're controlled by Hawkeye.

Lucious: Well, we've still got a few more hours. Surely there's time to figure something out!

Hiro: Next time, the Dragon of Time.


	12. Dragon of Time

We returned to the ballroom with a mission. When our friends gathered again, they came with a list.

My heart sank as I looked over the list. Nobles of all ranks and varying countries, all missing just like Viggo's parents, just like Zeus's.

"They knew what they were doing," Albert said. "There are nobles from Queensblade, from Hinomoto.. If any of them die, it would be reason enough to start a war with Gedonelune."

"But if the Dragon of Time awakens in Hawkeye's hands," Hugo said, "it will be the end for all of us."

"All those people..!" Viggo cried. "What am I supposed to do?!"

This couldn't be the end. Everything we'd worked for- "Surely, there must be another way," I suggested, casting around for ideas. "We can.. we can find out where Hawkeye is keeping them, or- or-"

"There's no time," Felix said. "We have only a few hours until Midnight. Besides, we have no idea where they're keeping them."

"They would find another way," Viggo said, burying his face in his hands. He let out a bitter laugh. "Even if we saved them, even if we did everything right, they would find another way. They'd keep going until the Dragon of Time woke up, until my vision came true. This was.. this was what was always destined to happen, and I was an idiot for thinking otherwise."

Silence hung in the air as the truth fell over us. Hawkeye had played us for fools.

Felix broke the silence first. When he spoke, his eyes were distant. "You know, it's funny.. I always wondered if I'd meet him again, but I didn't think it would be like this."

Viggo turned to face him. "You.. met the Dragon of Time?"

"Once. At a party much like this. I'll never forget his kindness- or his strength. Even I was afraid. But he just told me not to let my heart grow dark. 'What you seek will come back to you in time,' he said. 'Don't let your heart grow cold, and I shall not let mine.'"

He closed his eyes. "But I didn't. I fell with pain in my heart, and I awoke in darkness. Because of that, this world nearly fell to ashes."

"..But I didn't," Lacan said, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Once upon a time, I awoke to the sky falling, encouraged by hate, just like Felix did. But this time, I awoke to a song, to friends being there to embrace me."

And something stirred within me as I heard Lacan's voice. A strange idea occurred to me.

Once upon a time, we had been afraid of so many things. We had been afraid to free the cursed prince of the Labyrinth. We had been afraid to awaken Lacan.

I slowly got to my feet. "I.. I think we need to awaken the Dragon of Time."

"What are you saying?" Viggo cried. "You know what'll happen if he falls in Hawkeye's hands-"

"So then let him fall in yours."

"What?!"

"We have the gems. We have the power, the heir of Siegfried. We can awaken him before they even have a chance. The Dragon of Time was once a force for good in this land, and I know he can be again- but only if its by your hand, by your choice! We'll awaken him with old friends to greet him, with joy in our hearts, not with their pain and sorrow!"

Viggo's eyes widened- and then he stepped back. "No. No way." He shook his head. "You have no idea what you're asking."

"Then are you going to let it all end here?! I know that isn't what you want!" The words came pouring out of me. "I know you care about your people, about stopping Hawkeye. That's what all of this has been for! I can't believe the man I know would never give up without a fight!"

Viggo was quiet for a long, long time. No one dared to speak. And then finally, he raised his chin and nodded. "..Fine. I'll do it."

I looked to the others. Each of them openly staring, but finally they all nodded too.

"If this is what you think is right," Zeus said, "we'll follow you."

"Heck, it could be kind of fun. Always wanted to meet the big guy."

"There's just one problem," Felix said. "We're still missing one of the gems."

My heart dropped. Despite everything, we'd still only managed to find five of the gems. We wouldn't have thought we would need all of them like this.

"I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out yet." I froze as I heard the familiar voice. I looked up to see Vain leaning against the doorway.

"You..!"

"Who are you?" Viggo asked.

"He's a friend of ours," I said. "Sort of."

"Does that matter now? Focus on the last gem. I suspect that you already know what it is, little bunny. I'm guessing you've seen it enough times by now."

“I-I don't know. We haven't found a trace of either of them-”

“Don't think of that. After all, all you need is one.”

I tried to clear my mind, trying to picture the gem.

Viggo spoke up first. “From what we found, it seems the gem runs in Jaden's family. Is there.. something that Cordelia carried?”

And I knew it. I could see it, shining as bright as day, a gem as silver as the wind. “That's right! Cordelia's necklace!”

Vain smirked. "Now you've got it, Goddess of Time."

“But even still, how would we be able to get it from her? She didn't listen to us before."

"Leave that to me," Vain said, getting to his feet. "Cordelia and I have.. a connection. I'll bring her to the Tower of Sorrow."

There was something in his tone that I couldn't place. But I had to trust him now. "Right, then we'll leave that to you."

Viggo's eyes widened, and then he nodded. "Then it looks like the rest is up to us." He turned to the others, and his voice turned stern. “Those of you with the gems, get to the Tower of Sorrow. We'll meet you there.”

“What about us?” Zeus asked.

“You're friends with Queen Zenobia, yeah? I need the rest of you to stay here and try to settle things while we're gone.”

“You can count on us.” The others nodded, their mission set.

"And as for us.." Viggo turned to me, tugging on the key around his neck. "It looks like it's time for us to head to the vault."

Viggo peeked over his shoulder, clicking his tongue in irritation. "The place is crawling with guards."

"There they are!" I saw the guards approaching us; I recognized the Oxford symbol on their capes.

I reacted on instinct, whipping out my wand. "Saggita Lumen!" The guards fell back with the burst of light, and Viggo turned to me in amazement. I smiled. "If there's no path, you've got to make one yourself, right?"

He laughed, honest and true. "That's the spirit." He twirled his pipe in his hands. "Pugnus Tempestus!" The mist turned into a fist, knocking the guards down as they tried to get back up. Blast after blast, he knocked them away.

"Viggo-"

"That should be enough." He put away his pipe and grabbed my hand. "Quickly!" He practically tore the key from his neck as he ran up to the door, jamming it in. The door glowed for a moment- and then slid open.

My breath hitched as I saw the room. Jewels glittered from the tops of the shelves throughout the room, decorating the walls. It was just as Viggo had said. "This must be.. all of the treasures of the royal family."

And there it was, lying on a table in the middle of the room, a belt shining with light. 'Everything we've been fighting for has been here,' I thought, walking up to the table. My hand reached out to the belt; it felt cold to the touch. 'With this, we can..'

Viggo looked over his shoulder. The guards were scrambling to their feet. "We don't have much time. We should head out."

"Right." I scooped up the belt. And once again, we took off- to our next destination, where everything would come to an end- the Tower of Sorrow.

We ran, ran through the forest until every breath hurt, until my legs felt numb.

'We just.. have a little farther to go,' I thought. 'I can't give up now.'

Viggo looked over his shoulder at me. He didn't look tired at all. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine!" I said. But as I spoke, my knees gave in. I fell- and couldn't get back up.

"Liz!" Viggo rushed to my side.

I couldn't hold him back. Not now, everything was depending on him. "G-go on without me."

"Tch. I'm not leaving without you." Suddenly, he knelt down, easily scooping me up in his arms.

"Viggo!"

"If I'm doing this," he said, meeting my eyes, "I want you by my side." He said it so firmly that my heart was racing. How could I turn him down?

And suddenly we were there, at the Tower of Sorrow. How many times had I been here? How many times had I seen it in the distance? But I couldn't imagine we'd be here like this.

Stepping inside, I saw our friends were already waiting for us- along with familiar faces. Headmaster Schuyler, Randolph, and..

"Cordelia." My heart clenched as I saw her, standing at Vain's side.

"Save the mushiness," she said shortly. "I had my own reasons for coming here, nothing to do with you."

"..Right." I still had many questions, but now was not the time for it.

She took out something from her pocket, a gem as silver as the wind. "This is what you're looking for, isn't it? Your little knight already scanned it for you." I looked to Felix, and he nodded.

"Y-yes, thank you."

"Liz, Viggo." We both turned at the sound of Randolph's voice. He was looking at us seriously. "They told us what you're planning to do. Are you certain about this?"

"Think carefully," Schuyler warned. "Once you do this, you cannot go back. This will have consequences for all of Gedonelune. Are you ready to bear that burden?"

I looked to Viggo, and I could tell he was as resolute as I was. Viggo nodded. "I am. Going back was never an option."

Randolph and Schuyler shared a look. And then Randolph smiled. "All right. Then we will follow where you lead."

One by one, Viggo carefully placed each of the gems into the belt. My breath hitched in my throat as I saw the gems shining on the belt.

'We did it. We really did it.'

"Here it is. Now all that's left to do is take it up to the Dragon of Time." I wondered if I was just imagining how Viggo's hands were trembling.

And I heard someone pounding, pounding at the door. The others immediately drew their wands.

"It looks like we've got company," Felix said. "You two, go on ahead! We'll take care of these guys!"

"Right!" Viggo grabbed my hand, and away we went, to where it would all end.

Finally, we reached the top floor of the Tower of Sorrow. We found her there, standing before the Dragon of Time. Daniel stood behind her with the king; the king was wrapped in chains of light.

Jaden smiled. "So you've chosen the life of your father after all. How heartwarming."

"Viggo!" the king cried. "Don't do this!"

"Silence." She turned back to Viggo. "Now then, little prince, hand over the gems."

"You're mistaken, Jaden." Viggo's voice was strong as he faced her. "I've brought the gems, but I'm not playing by the rules of your game. I will be the one to awaken the Dragon of Time!"

For the first time, open shock flashed across her face. "What?! Do you think you can fool us with that obvious lie? Hand over the gems!"

"It's not a lie, Jaden," I said. "Despite everything you've tried, we've found all the gems. If the Dragon of Time is destined to awaken, it will be by our hand!"

"T-that's impossible!" Viggo took out the belt, shining with light, and Jaden went pale as a ghost.

"Go, Viggo!" He ran towards the dragon-

But her expression hardened, dark magic gathering in her hand. "Daniel! Attack!"

"You'll have to get past me first!" I took out my wand. All I had to do was hold off Jaden long enough for Viggo to reach the dragon. "Saggita Lumen!"

Viggo dodged between them, and suddenly he was before the Dragon of Time. And, the belt in his hand, I could see him trembling.

He was afraid, and I couldn't say I wasn't. The world was counting on him. If we were wrong, then here and now would be our end. But I wasn't going to go out in fear.

"Viggo!" I cried out. "I know you can do this! You are the one who fought against fate to save this kingdom! You are the one who the Dragon of Time chose!"

And I could see his resolution take form as he faced the dragon. This time, there was no doubt in his heart. "I am Viggo of Gedonelune, heir of Siegfried! O Dragon of Time, hear my cry- and awaken!"

  
  


Slowly, the stone of ages fell away, and there he was-

And at long last, the Dragon of Time let out a mighty cry, rippling through the land. And in my heart, it sounded like a song.

  
  


Willem: I can't believe Hugo is finally back.

Hugo: I.. didn't go anywhere?

Willem: That is.. no, not you. The other Hugo. The dragon one.

Hugo: Wait, that's his name? I didn't know that.

Willem: Really? I thought your parents would have named you after him. Did you never talk about the Dragon of Time in the future?

Hugo: No, not really. We didn't have time for it.

Willem: Ha! Time. That's a good one.

Hugo: ..What are you talking about?

Willem: ..Nevermind. Anyway, next time on. What choice will you make?


	13. Unhappy Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets pretty dark, so be warned!

Pressure. Pressure crushing down on me, making it impossible to breathe. The magic that powered this land, protected us and guided us- now suffocating.

And those eyes- hidden away for all of this time- eyes filled with hatred. The eyes of a beast.

His hand in mine. "We need to get out of here!"

As we fled, I heard a voice- and it sounded like laughter.

  
"Liz! Viggo!" Voices called out to us at the steps of the tower. Hands grip my shoulders, but through my panic it's impossible to tell who it is- or how many. "What happened?!"

"M-monster-"

I can feel his cry, pounding in my chest like my own heartbeat. And suddenly he is there. The dragon fills the sky, blacking out the sun.

He takes off in flight-

"He's headed towards the town!"

"We have to get there first! We have to stop him!"

"What can we do?!"

  
They say a dragon appeared over Gedonelune town one day- and that was the last thing they saw.

In the ashes of Gedonelune, I saw the dragon. When nothing was left, he took off once more. To be alone? To destroy once more? Impossible to say.

In the ashes of Gedonelune, I saw the brave prince fall to his knees.

We made an impossible choice. But we chose wrong- and now the blood was on our hands.

"What have I done?!" he screamed. "What have I done?!"


	14. Normal Ending

"Who dares to awaken me?"

Power. Power that guided us filled the air, knocking the breath from my lungs. The dragon hovers above us, wings filling the sky. I can feel Viggo shaking at my side, but he doesn't stand down. "I am Viggo La Rochejaquelin Gedonelune, prince of Gedonelune!"

Those eyes fix on me. Eyes that guided Gedonelune, that saw through time. Impossible to tell whether with kindness or with hatred.

'Please, let this be the right choice-'

"Siegfried's descendant?" The dragon touched down before us. Hesitantly, Viggo reached out his hand- and the dragon accepted his touch.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been three days since the Tower of Sorrow. It felt like so much had happened in such a short time, and now I found myself waiting outside of the throne room for Viggo.

'Everything's going to be fine,' I told myself. 'It's just a little chat to make sure things are all right.'

"Are you all right?" The familiar voice broke through my thoughts. The dragon of time settled at my side.

"A little. I know that it's silly to be nervous now. Everything's fine now..Viggo's just in there talking to his father, but it's like.. like I've got all this left over dread in me."

"It's natural to feel worry about the ones that we care about," he said in a soothing voice. "We can pass the time together. There are still many things I'd like to ask of you."

"What do you mean?"

"This time is still new to me, and I have a lot to learn. For example, I am curious how another of my kind," he nodded towards Shu, "has ended up here. I've heard we've become a rarity."

"Can't you look that up with your.. time vision?"

He laughed, warm and rich. "I can. But it would be more fun to hear the story from you. And any others you wish to tell."

Time flew by, telling stories, and my worries melted away. Once I shared one story, it felt natural to tell another. I felt completely relaxed by the time the throne room door opened again.

"Looks like you two are getting along."

"Viggo!" I sat up a little straighter. "How did it go?"

He sighed, leaning against the wall. "I told him everything. About Hawkeye, about different guardians, about all the trouble I got up to." He sighed. "Doubt he's going to forget about that. He was.. surprisingly understanding about it. Sorry about how long he had let things go on."

"But?"

He sighed. "He wants me to have guards. People will come after me now that my identity's known. And Hawkeye's still out there."

My heart clenched. Only a few had been captured. Jaden and Daniel were still out there. "A guard.. might not be such a bad idea."

"It's not so bad. He's allowing me to pick, as long as I know them to be strong. Just people to watch my back." He grinned, patting the Dragon of Time, earning him a pleased look. "After all, I know that this big guy will be here to protect me."

"Always."

Things were only going to get tougher from here. Viggo would need strong people to stand by his side. And.. well, I could hardly stand aside now, could I? "And I'll be there to protect you too!" I lurched to my feet- nearly tripping as I stood up.

He smiled, not a shadow of a doubt in his smile. "I know you will."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I saw a familiar figure moving in the cell. One that I might have been afraid of, once upon a time.

"What do you want?" Cordelia asked. "I've already given you what you needed."

But Viggo didn't seem phased. "My father wants me to put together a royal guard. I'm giving you a chance to be a part of it."

"A guard?" she asked dryly. "You must be joking."

"Few know the ins and outs of Hawkeye better than you," he said plainly. "You can help us take them down."

"Why would you trust me with this? I tried to kill your girlfriend." I could feel her eyes on me, almost like she was taunting me.

"You helped us," I said. "You could have easily given the gem to Jaden, but you didn't. I doubt they'd take you back after that. Or that you'd want to go back."

She paused. In the darkness, something flicker across her expression. What it was, I couldn't say. "..Fine." She turned away. "It's not like I have anything better to do anyway. Besides.." I could hear her smirk. "It might be interesting to see the power of the oracle prince."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I let out a sigh as we stepped out of the cell. "I can't believe she agreed." But when I turned to face him, Viggo was strangely quiet, standing against the wall. "..Viggo? Are you all right?"

"Just something she said is bugging me. She called me the oracle prince again."

Oh. Of course. "Hawkeye probably still has their eyes on your power."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "..The Dragon of Time offered me a deal. He saw how they used my powers. He said.. if I wanted, he could take my visions away. Forever. So no one could use me again."

It was hard to imagine Viggo without his visions. They had been able to aid him- and also cause him great strife, the reason that so many families had used him. And now he had the chance to cast them all aside..

Honestly, I could see why he would choose one or the other. But in the end, it was his decision to make.

"Are you going to take him up on it?"

He couldn't meet my eyes.

Oh. Oh.

"You.. already did."

He sighed, facing me. "It wasn't even a choice. For years, I got jerked around because of those visions. That's all I was to them. I'm not going to let myself be used anymore."

"It must feel like such a relief," I said honestly. "Now you have the chance to make a new future for yourself."

"I just.. wonder if I made the right choice. Hawkeye's still out there, and I wonder if I made myself useless."

"Viggo," I almost wanted to laugh, "it was never the visions that made you a part of the team. It was the way that you used them, your resourcefulness- and your determination to fight, time and time again, even when it seemed like the world was falling down around us. That's the Viggo that I fell in love with."

"Fell in love with?" Viggo's face was red. I had never seen him so genuinely caught off-guard.

  
  


Whoops. I hadn't even realized I said it. But.. "Yes." I smiled, taking his hands. "I'm in love with you, Viggo- for everything that you are."

There were still shadows lurking in the dark- and we had no idea what the future had in store for us. But I wasn't afraid. As long as were together, I knew that we could handle anything.


	15. Happy Ending

The Dragon of Time. All of my life, I'd heard the legend of the mighty dragon who watched over this land, a being sealed away in stone.

But that night, stone became flesh, and the dragon's mighty song filled the air- a power so great I could barely remain standing.

"Liz!" Viggo wrapped his arms around me, shielding me. Finally, the light faded. "Are you all right?"

"Ah!" My heart jumped as I saw them. Jaden and Daniel were still standing, but they were frozen like stone. Only the king remained unfrozen.

"Their hearts were filled with wickedness." The voice boomed through the tower, and my gaze fell upon the dragon. "They will awaken in time, but they will be without their magic. This is the fate of all those who followed them."

"Amazing.." I had read about this power in the storybooks, but it was different to see it in person.

But all my attention turned as the dragon landed before us. Those eyes.. the eyes that had watched over this land were now fixed on Viggo. "Your presence is strange, familiar and also.. new. Who is it who awakens me?"

"I am a descendant of Siegfried," Viggo said clearly. No longer was he trembling, as if all his fear had faded away. "I am a prince of the kingdom the two of you dreamed of long ago."

"I see. I have slumbered for a long time."

Viggo nodded. "You have guarded us for all this time. But someone told me that even you deserved to see the light of day again." He nodded towards me.

"And who are you?" His gaze fell on me, but his eyes were gentle.

So many things that I wanted to say, but I couldn't find the words. "I-I'm Liz Hart. I'm h-honored to meet you."

He seemed to smile. "The honor is all mine, Goddess of Time." The blood rushed to my cheeks as I heard him.

"Ha.." And Viggo and I realized at the same time there was still someone left in the room.

"Ah, crap! Hang on!" We quickly ran over to the king, untying him.

"Thank you." But the king was trembling as the dragon's gaze fell on him.

The dragon approached him, sniffing him. "You too are the blood of Siegfried. You are the one who leads this land."

"I-I am. I've heard.. the legends all my life, but I never thought.. I never dreamed I'd see you like this."

"I didn't think I'd see the light of day once more," the dragon said. "It's thanks to the bravery of all those gathered here- especially those two who dared to face me."

"I know." The king smiled at Viggo. "I feel like I can learn from their bravery."

And just then, I remembered. "O Dragon of Time! I forgot to mention- we're not the only ones here! There are some old friends waiting to meet you! I'm sure they'll be really excited!"

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting."

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When we got back to the floor, the first thing I noticed was all the frozen figures, just like Jaden and Daniel, frozen mid fight. Even Cordelia amongst them.

'So this is what's become of Hawkeye..'

A hush fell over the room as all eyes on fell on the Dragon of Time.

"Just as the legends say," Vain murmured, eyes wide, "so this is the Dragon of Time.."

Randolph smiled as he approached him. He reached out, touching the dragon's snout. "It's been a long time, old friend," he greeted warmly.

"It seems a lot has happened while I slumbered."

"More than I can say. I've been watching over this land for all of these years. It's different, but.. wonderful all the same."

"This power.. just like I remember, all those years ago," Felix said, a distant look in his eyes.

The dragon turned to him with a smile, a knowing look. "I see that you too have awakened from your long slumber."

"Yes. It took a long time, but.." He looked over his shoulder at Willem and Lacan. "I found my way home. It's good to see you again."

I couldn't help but smile as I watched them. 'It looks like everything's working out.' But something hit me.

"Oh, wait!" In all of the confusion, I had almost forgotten about the ball. I couldn't imagine the confusion back in the ballroom, with everyone leaving so suddenly. "Viggo, shouldn't we be getting back to the ball now?"

“Crap!”

Headmaster Schuyler stepped forward. "Your Majesty, you, His Highness, and Liz should go on ahead. We'll take care of getting these," he nodded towards the frozen figures, "back to the castle dungeons."

"We can help with that," Felix offered. The other two nodded behind him.

"I'll go with you," the Dragon of Time said, nudging the king. "I'm looking forward to seeing what Gedonelune has become after all these years."

"Huh? Sure.."

My heart warmed as the four of us started walking together. 'It looks like things are working out.'

Suddenly, something cold touched my nose as we stepped outside. "Huh?" I held out my hand, confirming my suspicions.

"What's wrong?"

"It's.. snowing."

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'What a fuss.' I nearly collapsed against the wall, a wave of exhaustion sweeping over me as I left the ballroom.

"Liz?" Viggo settled next to me on the ground. "You all right?"

"It's just been a long night." I had lost count of the hours we had spent in the ballroom, taking care of the fuss. "Still.." I couldn't help but smile at the memory. "We made quite a sight showing up with the Dragon of Time, didn't we?"

"We did. May have been worth it just for the shock on their faces." He laughed, but his expression softened. "But.. seems like they took things pretty well. Everyone seemed to accept the Dragon of Time wasn't going to destroy everything. And I won't be the prince who brought destruction upon Gedonelune."

"It looks like you'll have to be the hero who saved us instead."

"A hero... That doesn't sound so bad."

The dragon we feared was kind, and now Hawkeye was gone. "It looks like everything's going to be all right after all."

He smiled a little, but his expression turned stern again. "..A lot is going to change now that he's awake. The snow is just the start of it. We can't go back to how things were before."

"I know. I know our actions wouldn't be without consequence. But we'll face it together. And, honestly, after every thing that we've been through tonight, I feel like we can handle anything together."

He smiled. "..I'm glad you were there with me," he said at last, avoiding my eyes. "I don't know if I would have been able to face it alone."

"Of course I was. I'll always be there with you."

He was quiet for a long moment as he leaned against the wall. "..I never thought that I'd make it this far," he said, his voice distant. "Thought I'd always be shoved around, in trouble until the end.”

He turned to me, and my heart was racing. He squeezed my hand, and I knew what this was. I'd felt it way back then, walking together in the town, and I knew it when we'd faced the dragon together. I knew it without a doubt.

"You are the only one who doesn't see me as just a prince- or a troublemaker. Over and over, you've shown me the future doesn't have to be as dark as it seems. You've shown me I can forge a new light.”

"Viggo-"

He smiled, sweet and warm. "I love you, Liz."

"I love you too, Viggo."

I wasn't sure how long we sat together, both exhausted from the trials. But it was a peaceful feeling. Not a girl and a prince. Just the two of us.

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By the time morning came, everything was settled. With everyone's help, we'd managed to find the others Hawkeye had kidnapped; the rest had been trivial.

In the light of morning, the castle looked like a different world. The courtyard glistened with fresh fallen snow; nobles frolicked happily through the snow or played together.

I couldn't help but smile as I saw them. 'To think, just last night, I thought the world was going to end.' And now we felt at peace.

To my surprise, I felt something drape over my shoulders. I looked up to see Viggo settle his cloak over my shoulders. "You ought to take care. It's freezing out here."

"Thank you."

"Dad usually arranges for it to snow on Foundation Day," he said, a wistful look in his eyes. "First time it's happened like this though. We'll have to start preparing for a heavy winter."

"Well, don't you two look like a happy couple." Vain strolled up to us, Hugo and Mischa following on his heels.

"You.." Viggo's gaze fell on Vain. "You're the one who broke Cordelia out. Guess I should thank you."

"Oh, that's right! Vain, there was something that I wanted to ask you. How did you convince her to help us?"

"Hmm, I wonder." As usual, all I got was his mysterious smile. But.. was I imagining the distant look in his eyes? "That's for me to know."

"Figures." Even after all this time, I still couldn't get answers out of him.

"I can tell you this." His expression turned serious. "You would have gotten the gem of wind either way."

"..Who are you, anyway?" Viggo asked.

"Well.." The story of the time travelers was a lot to explain.

But Vain got there first. "I'm the one you would have faced in the finals, if things had gone according to plan. It's almost a shame we never got to face each other."

Viggo smirked, his hand already on his pipe. "That sounds like a challenge."

"I'm up for it if you are. If, of course, you're prepared to lose."

I couldn't help but smile, seeing their spirit. "That sounds like fun! It might be just the thing to lift everyone's spirits up."

Panic flashed across Hugo's face. "Wait, Vain, I don't think that's such a good idea-"

"Don't worry, Hugo, this won't take long."

"Pugnus Tempestus!"

Vain lurched forward, hidden eye flashing- and went crashing to the ground with one swing of Viggo's mist fists.

"Huh? Why can't I summon my magic?!"

Hugo sighed, helping his brother to his feet. "That's why I tried to warn you," he scolded. "The Dragon of Time awakening threw off the magic that governs time all at once. It'll take a while for our magic to recharge."

That sounded familiar. "Oh! It's just like what happened with the Castle in the Sky." Hugo nodded.

"Hmph." Vain turned away, clutching his nose.

And Viggo wrapped his arm around me. I felt him resting his head on my shoulder, a teasing smile on his lips. “Does this mean that I win?"

  
  


"Looks like it." I giggled. "Prince Viggo, savior of Gedonelune- and winner of the tournament."

He smiled. "That doesn't sound too bad."

He leaned in towards me- and kissed me on the lips. And even in the freezing snow, he was as warm as the sun.

  
  


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"What? You can.. take away my visions?"

The Dragon of Time faced him steadily. "If that is what you desire. I have heard how you suffered at the hands of Hawkeye. How you were used from a young age because of your visions. You need not carry that burden any longer."

Viggo glanced at me, as if asking what to do. His visions had caused him a lot of pain over the years. It could be the start of a new life, to live without them. But.. he had been able to make something new for himself too with it.

I took his hand, meeting his eyes. "It's your choice, Viggo."

He was quiet, for a long moment. "I.." He sat up, his voice firm. "I won't let myself be used by anyone else anymore. I won't go back to how it was before."

"Understandable."

"..So teach me how to use them."

"Huh?"

"As much as I've hated them, they've helped guide me too. And if everyone else can use them, I sure as heck can too. So teach me how I can make the best of them."

Relief flooded over me, and the dragon smiled. "Excellent choice."

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Luca and Elias stared up in awe at the Dragon of Time.

“All that time of dreaming of the tower,” Luca muttered. “I never thought I'd get to see you in person like this.”

“Who would have thought we'd end up here?” Elias said.

The Dragon of Time looked at Luca curiously, sniffing him. “Your presence is familiar too. You.. are a descendant of Siegfried too, aren't you?”

Open shock flashed across Luca's face. "You can tell?"

"You have a similar presence as he did. Like Viggo and the king. Different, in a way- but shining brightly too."

Luca smiled. "You have.. no idea how much that means to hear from you."

Viggo looked thoughtful. "You know.. Dad's been getting better about listening. If we told him who you were, I think he'd listen to us. Especially with the testimony from the big guy here."

"You'd be willing to do that for me?"

"Who do you take me for? Of course I would," Viggo said without hesitation. My heart warmed as I watched the two of them.

"What do you say?"

He was quiet for a long time, looking between us. And then he smiled as he shook his head. "Maybe.. another time. I have family here and at the academy. For once, I.. think I'm happy with this. But.. it's nice to know that I have the option."

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"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?'

"Ah, come in, come in!" The king beckoned me into the dining room. "Please, have a seat." I took a seat across from him; the table was filled with lavish foods.

'Not exactly what I expected when I got a summons from the king.'

"Viggo's been telling me a lot about you," he said with a light laugh. “He told me about your adventures together. And he told me that he loves you."

My heart dropped. 'This is a warning. Is he going to ask me to go away?'

"Do you love him?" he asked, fixing his gaze on me.

A dangerous question. But.. I couldn't lie. "Yes, I do, Your Majesty."

He laughed. "Well, that's wonderful! I'm glad that Viggo has someone who makes him so happy. The way he lights up when he talks about you.." He smiled warmly. "I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time. I'm sure you two will be very happy together."

I could hardly believe my ears. "Your Majesty, are you saying you approve of me and Viggo together?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

I bowed my head. "I'm not a princess, not a noble. I'm just a girl from the middle of nowhere."

"That doesn't matter to me." There was a distant look in his eyes. "I've spent too long letting people push me.. letting people push my family around simply because of their names. I nearly lost my kingdom because of it. And Viggo got deeply hurt because of it. I won't make that mistake again. So, if you and Viggo love each other, I won't stand in your way."

My heart soared. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Oh, and there's one more thing before we eat. Tell Viggo he can come in, all right?"

"Huh?" I looked over to see Viggo in the doorway.

"I.. wasn't listening," he said, but he avoided my eyes.

"Come on, come on, sit next to me!" He smiled as he sat next to me. How wonderful. Now nothing could hold us back.

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Our days in the castle flew by, and soon it was time to return home.

As we settled into the carriage, Viggo wrapped his arms around me, as casual as could be. My heart raced, but I relaxed in his gentle touch.

'I can't believe I get to be by his side like this.'

"It's a little sad to be leaving this place," I said idly.

"Mhmm. But we'll be back soon enough," Viggo said. "After all, this is going to be our home, right?"

I couldn't help but giggle. "Right!"

When we got back, Amelia and Gray were waiting for us at the gates.

Amelia practically tackled me in a hug. "Liz! You have to tell me everything! I heard that you went to the royal ball as Viggo's partner!"

She went pale as Viggo stepped out of the carriage with me. He casually dropped a kiss on my cheek.

I laughed at Amelia's astonishment. "I have so much to tell you." I heard a familiar cry from above us; Amelia's jaw dropped as she looked up. "A lot to tell you!"

Gray looked up. "Is that..?"

"Come on, Gray," Viggo said, guiding him away, "there's someone I want you to meet."

"Come on!" Amelia grabbed my hand, pulling me away. "Let's get inside. It's so cold out here!"

We walked together, sharing stories of our breaks. But as we walked past the forest, something caught my eye- a figure standing there, gazing up at the tower. Someone who shouldn't be there.

"Liz?"

"Uh, you go ahead, I'll catch up with you." My heart in my throat was I approached the figure. She was unmistakably familiar- a mysterious woman with long, red hair, just like I had seen her, years ago. Her gaze fixed on me. "How are you in this form during the day?"

"Have we.. met before?"

No. Something was different. She looked almost the same, but her eyes lacked the same warmth. "Randolph?"

"You must be thinking of someone I have a contract with," she said with a pleasant smile. "Easy mistake to make."

A chill ran down my spine. This was her- the one Randolph had made a contract with all those years ago. The third mage of the tower. "You're..!"

"You can call me Mab." She smiled. "By the way, I heard that you're the one who awakened the Dragon of Time."

"Y-yes."

"I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone would have the guts. But.. it does change my contracts now. And it seems.." She looked towards the tower. "It's time to renegotiate."

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The years passed us by. And one day came a day I once would have never dared to dream of before.

This time, I found myself waiting at Viggo's door. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Let's get this over with." My breath hitched as I saw him, dressed in his finest. But I also smiled as I saw his eyes widen. "You look wonderful."

"You two look like a proper royal pair." I smiled at the familiar voices; Shu settled at my side, and the Dragon of Time at Viggo's.

"They'll be calling your Your Majesty soon."

"Ugh, don't remind me." But Viggo smiled even as he said it.

"King Viggo La Rochejaquelin Gedonelune," I said playfully. "Guardian of Gedonelune, awakener of the Dragon of Time-" Viggo cut me off with a kiss, taking my breath away. I loved it when he did that.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. But with you as a queen.. I suppose it won't be so bad."

"Come on, Your Majesty. Gedonelune awaits."

The future that we dreamed of- and sometimes feared- had finally arrived, and, with it, came a new dawn. Like everything else, we'd face it- together.


End file.
